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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25120843">The Key to Creation</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/RaphaelComet/pseuds/RaphaelComet'>RaphaelComet</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>D&amp;D: Eberron [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Pathfinder (Roleplaying Game)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Aureum Vindictae, Clifftop Adventurers Guild, Creation Pattern, Eberron - Freeform, Emerald Claw, Gen, Gunslinger (Class), House Cannith, Khorvaire (Eberron), Mournland, Pathfinder - Freeform, Schema, Sharn - Freeform, The Forgotten Forge</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-07-07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-07-06</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 09:01:45</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>113,756</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25120843</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/RaphaelComet/pseuds/RaphaelComet</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>A bounty-hunter down on her luck looks for more lucrative opportunities in the big city. Upon reaching Sharn, a female human named Leena finds employment with one of the prominent adventurers’ guilds. After getting involved in a crime scene and meeting some of her new guildmates, Leena joins them in a series of events that lead her all over Khorvaire.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>D&amp;D: Eberron [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1819663</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. I Am the Law</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>A story chronicling a completed D&amp;D campaign as told from the perspective of the character I played, Leena Sorte. The DM was a friend of mine (Eric) and along with myself, there were four other main players (Nichole, Colten, Tanner, and Cole), along with a couple guest characters. The story takes place in Eberron.</p>
<p>Chapters 1, 3, and 4 are exposition chapters where I go into more depth about Leena’s background. Chapter 2 chronicles a one-shot D&amp;D session we did before the start of the campaign as a sort of loose prologue. The campaign starts in Chapter 5.</p>
<p>Below shows whose characters belonged to who:<br/><b>Myself</b>: Leena, Daena<br/><b>Nichole</b>: Layla<br/><b>Colten</b>: Asmundr, Vermundr<br/><b>Tanner</b>: Nathan, Lost<br/><b>Cole</b>: Cloth<br/><b>Guest Character</b>: Serenity (Alexandra), Jessalyn, Gemra (Alexandra)</p>
<p>Reposted from my FanFiction page:</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It all started long ago back before the Mourning had even happened, back when Cyre was still a normal land to live in. My name is Leena Sorte and I was around 17 years old or so when my mom (Sherri) was killed by bandits. My mom worked as one of the local town guards in the town I lived in, a place called Eastwood. She upheld justice and carried out the law wherever she went. I had always known her as a woman of the law and she was always just and fair. I never knew my father, though. Didn’t know where he went and never cared to ask where he went off to or why. My mom rarely spoke of him and the few times she did, it was never in a positive light. Anyway, I’m getting off topic.</p>
<p>One day, my mom apprehended a group of outlaws that were clearly guilty of the crimes they committed; however, when they were brought in front of a judge later on to receive their sentencing, the judge said there wasn’t enough substantial evidence to convict them. My mom told the judge otherwise, but the law was the law and so the outlaws were sent free. I was outraged when she told me about it, but she kept her emotions in check, saying that there was a system in place for a reason no matter how much she disliked it.</p>
<p>The next day, the outlaws ambushed my mom while she was on patrol to get some payback. They lured her into the forest then attacked her when she was alone and away from town. When I was told the news by a fellow colleague of hers who was investigating the case, I couldn’t believe it. They told me what they knew at the time which wasn’t much. They only managed to interrogate the few people who happened to see the shameful deed take place. From what I could gather, I knew it had to be the same bunch of guys my mom rounded up the day before. At that point, there was only one thing to do, so I took my mom’s guns in hand and left to get my revenge.</p>
<p>My mom wielded a pair of revolvers that she fashioned herself, naming one of them “Law” and the other “Order”. She learned how to create them from a master gunsmith but never really talked about her time as his apprentice. Thankfully, she taught me how to fix and maintain guns as well as make ammunition for them; though, she never did get around to teaching me how to create firearms from scratch.</p>
<p>When I retrieved my mom’s guns after her death, they were in a rough condition- scratched, worn, and scuffed. It seemed like my mom fought as hard as she could, but it still wasn’t enough; she was greatly outnumbered and caught by surprise. It took me a while, but I eventually managed to get them looking like brand new. Once I was done, I renamed them “Dread” and “Despair” as they’d no longer dispense law and order like my mom had once done. Now, they had a new purpose- to bring dread and despair to my enemies and those who found themselves on the wrong end of my guns.</p>
<p>From what I was able to gather from the crime reports, I had a good idea of what the perpetrators looked like. Lucky for me, they were also still in the area. I stalked them from the shadows and learned their routine, taking note of the places they liked to frequent and common routes they preferred to take. Then one night, I got my chance.</p>
<p>After exacting my revenge, I decided to take up bounty-hunting as a job because at the time, I still wasn’t sure what I wanted to do with my life. I actually had fun and enjoyed hunting down outlaws and taking them out. I didn’t want to work formally for the law like my mom did, though. After what happened with her, I didn’t exactly trust the law to do right by me. If I was going to uphold justice, I wanted to do it my way. And so, I began my bounty-hunting career.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>#</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Over the next couple years or so, I continued with bounty-hunting and eventually made a name for myself. While I was on the job, I took on the alias Flintlock Vixen for work purposes and used the name on official paperwork and stuff. I wasn’t exactly a fan of leaving behind a paper trail that people could link to me. Eventually, my notoriety was noticed by some people within the Cyran government.</p>
<p>While I was relaxing at the bar one day after a job well done, I was contacted by a Cyran government agent to potentially be recruited as a spy for them. The government was looking for outside hands to help in their secret spy program, or whatever. I was running low on funds and the small jobs I was taking weren’t making ends meet. So, against my better judgement, I took on the offer. At the time, I didn’t have a problem with the government overall; it was just the law and order institutions that I was resentful of.</p>
<p>Once I was recruited by the Cyran agent, I was made part of the [REDACTED] where I conducted clandestine missions on behalf of the Cyran government. Most of the time, I went on missions with other operatives who were recruited from outside the government’s ranks. Over time, I befriended a fellow agent named [REDACTED], but unofficially she went by the name Alexandria, which was her undercover identity while we were on covert missions. I had an alternate identity as well and my name was Francine Valentine. Those identities were mainly used while we were doing cross-border operations. If we were compromised while out in the field, Cyre had plausible deniability and were able to wash their hands of us.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Just Another Mission</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Chapter 2 chronicles a one-shot D&amp;D session we did before the start of the campaign as a sort of loose prologue. It was DM'd by my friend, Eric.</p><p>Below shows whose characters belonged to who:<br/><b>Myself</b>: Leena<br/><b>Eric</b>: Alexa<br/><b>Tanner</b>: Nathan<br/><b>Alexandra</b>: Serenity<br/></p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>So… during my employment with the Cyran government, I went on several “interesting” missions. They ranged from high-risk infiltration to boring surveillance. There was one in particular, though, that stood out amongst the rest.</p><p>I was put on a four-operative team along with fellow agents Nathan Ryker, Serenity Smith, and my friend Alexandria or Alexa for short. Those weren’t their real names, of course; they were just names used for their assumed identities while on the job.</p><p>We were tasked with infiltrating a research facility in Aundair to steal something of great importance to the Cyran government. A lot of the mission was classified, so I’ll just skip to when we were heading back home to Cyre on the lightning-rail. We were riding on a 10-car train called the Silver Towers Local. We had retrieved the [REDACTED] and had it stored in an inconspicuous crate. It was stashed in the cargo car near the back of the train next to the caboose.</p><p>The team and I were sitting together in our own little private booth in one of the passenger cars. We were all disguised as members of the Order of the Silver Flame, wearing religious garbs and such. I was dressed like a nun with my guns hidden underneath my clothing. So far, things were going smoothly and it seemed like our mission was going to be completed without a hitch. I was sitting next to Alexandria across from Serenity and Nathan. We chatted a bit amongst ourselves during the beginning of the train ride to pass the time.</p><p>When it was time for dinner, we decided to leave our car and head on down to the dining car for some food. Our objective was secured in the baggage car which passengers didn’t have access to, so there really wasn’t any need to stand guard by it. The dining car was crowded with passengers nearly filling all the spots at the rows of tables. Luckily, we found a spot where all four of us were able to sit together. The employees in the dining car weren’t serving food yet, so we just had to make due with jugs of water for the time being.</p><p>While we were just sitting there amongst the ambient noise of the crowd, there was a child making an obnoxious racket across the room. He was crying and talking loudly while his parents tried to keep him quiet. I just ignored it all as I waited for some food to finally come out. Nathan, on the other hand, decided to take it upon himself and try to cheer up the wailing kid. He went over to the child and began talking to him and stuff. Whatever he did, it shut the kid up for the time being which was nice. My head was beginning to ache from all the racket and my empty stomach didn’t help. After an unremarkable meal, we headed back to our car and decided to get some shut eye in our private cabin.</p><p> </p><p>#</p><p> </p><p>I’m not sure how long I was asleep for, but when I woke up, it felt like quite some time had passed by. It seemed we had all fallen asleep and were coming to around the same time. We looked around our cabin and didn’t notice anything immediately out of the ordinary. In hindsight, one of us should’ve kept watch, but oh well.</p><p>After waking up, we noticed how eerily quiet it was around us. We couldn’t hear any chatter or movement from the other passengers in our car. We carefully opened the door to our cabin and poked our heads into the hallway, seeing nothing and no one. We then checked the cabins next to ours and found no other passengers there. We were sure we hadn’t made any stops and there in fact used to be other passengers in the cabin besides us. Something was amiss, but we couldn’t quite put our finger on it just yet.</p><p>As we were exploring the passenger car, we heard the wailing of what seemed to be a child coming from the rear of the train. Listening to it, it sounded similar to the kid we heard back from the dining car. We were all confused as to what was going on, so we went to investigate the only lead we had. The special cargo was also located in the rear of the train, so we decided to check on it while we were there. We moved carefully through the lightning-rail cars, keeping alert for anything suspicious. We still didn’t see anyone which was slightly worrying. When we got to the car right before the one where the cargo was kept, we spotted the source of the annoying noise.</p><p>Nathan was at the lead of the group and saw a child crouched down in a corner of the car. So far, we hadn’t encountered a single soul up until then. We all exchanged concerned looks, but he decided to approach the child anyway. Once he got close to it, the child suddenly changed into a horrific, pale creature and attacked us. Since it was clearly hostile and not a small child, we had no problem defending ourselves using lethal force. After dispatching our foe, we took a moment to collect ourselves and try to figure out what just happened. We got a closer look at the creature and saw how disgusting it really was. Remembering that our special cargo was just in the next car over, we hurried to make sure it was still there.</p><p>Upon entering the cargo car, which was unlocked for some reason, we searched around and found our crate safe and sound. By the looks of it, no one had attempted to break into it or move it, which was good. Once we had seen that it was still secured, we felt a disturbance in the train’s movement. It seemed almost as if the lightning-rail had increased in speed. We then heard the same wailing from before, except it was coming from the front of the train that time. I sighed and looked to my teammates. Whatever was going on, it wasn’t good, so we decided that we needed to get to the bottom of it before it endangered our mission.</p><p>We left the cargo car and began making our way to the front of the lightning-rail, though, it began to get more unstable as it sped up. It wasn’t designed for continuous travel at such high speeds, so we had to get to the controls and slow it down somehow. We passed by our passenger car and proceeded on into the dining car then the galley car. We still didn’t see anyone else, but there were more pressing matters on our minds, or at least, mine anyway. My trigger fingers were getting itchy, but we still had no idea what was going or what we should’ve been on the lookout for.</p><p>When we were in the galley car, we encountered another strange, hostile creature. Thing? It was like nothing I had ever seen before and it was hard to describe. It was humanoid and had blades affixed to its hands- arms? It was grotesque, much worse than the small, pale creature we killed earlier. It was like a giant, crazed butcher. It reeked of blood and gore and the surrounding room had corpses and viscera everywhere. It almost made me gag when we first entered the area. I had seen some sights in my time, but nothing like that. We assumed the carnage around us was where the missing passengers went, so we prepared ourselves for a fight.</p><p>There wasn’t much room to maneuver around in the cramped car, but we made due. The melee fighters got up close and personal while Serenity and I kept our distance, bring ranged fighters and all. I’m not sure what went wrong, but the fight could’ve gone a lot smoother on my part. For some odd reason, both my guns misfired and one even jammed when I tried to fix it. I had no idea what caused it; I mean, they were both clean and in good working order, so it was very strange that it happened. Even though I was having some difficulty, the others managed to take care of the butcher beast on their own. Once it was dead, we took a moment to regain our composure and such. I got my guns unjammed and reloaded while the others tended to their wounds. After all that was taken care of, we continued on our way, anxious as to what else we might encounter along the way.</p><p>As we were continuing to make our way to the front of the lightning-rail, we felt the train shudder violently as it yet again increased in speed. We then noticed and heard several cars from behind us seemingly detach from the overall train. I momentarily turned towards the rear of the lightning-rail and froze. The cargo was back there and if the baggage car had been detached, then we had failed our mission. I wanted to go check on it, but Alexa stopped me, saying that we were all going to die if we didn’t slow down the lightning-rail. The mission wasn’t going to matter if we were all dead. I sneered at the situation we were in and followed the others to the front of the train.</p><p>While we were hurrying to the front of the lightning-rail, someone in our group realized that something was off about the situation we were in. It didn’t seem right to them and eventually they figured we were in some sort of alternate reality, or a dream as it were. Once we figured that out, I felt something appear in my pocket as did everyone else. We reached in and pulled out three odd token-looking things. There was some text on them and they more or less said that they granted wishes or something. At that point, I figured we really were in a dream and that everything around us wasn’t real; though, it felt real enough and I was apprehensive about getting injured and it having an effect on my real body. After taking a brief look at the dream tokens, we continued on.</p><p>Eventually, we came to a point where we couldn’t proceed any further from within the cars. There was a gap between the car we were on and the locomotive ahead of us. The only way forward was to somehow get on top of the car and continue from there. It was a harrowing jump, but we all managed to get across in one piece. The wind from the speeding lightning-rail flowed through my hair and made the jump all that more terrifying, but I made it- somehow. Once we were on the other side, we climbed up a ladder which took us on top of the locomotive.</p><p>It was hard to stand due to the speed at which the lightning-rail was then traveling at. I was glad I didn’t have my trademark hat with me or else I would’ve had to hold on to it for dear life. Once we were all on top of the train, we took a few steps forward but had to stop. There were streaks of lightning and a wall of electricity that prevented us from proceeding any further. Since the lightning-rail was more or less out of control, the lightning elemental had to have been acting up and causing all the excess electricity.</p><p>Time was running out and we had to find a way to get passed the electric hazards and into the hatch ahead of us. Nathan then remembered the mysterious dream tokens that we had and decided to give them a shot. He took one of the tokens and made a wish in his head. The next thing I knew, he and Serenity had teleported to the other side. Seeing that the token things actually worked, I decided to give it a try and stood next to Alexa.</p><p>I held the token in my hand and concentrated on making my wish to teleport us to where the others were. At first, nothing happened then the token just disintegrated in my hand. I scowled as I looked at my empty hand then took out another from my pocket. I wanted to save them for something more interesting, but we had to get across the electric field one way or another. I held the token and concentrated once more on teleportation. That time, it worked and I found myself safely on the other side with the rest of the team.</p><p>Once we were all together again, we moved on over to the hatch in the floor and opened it up. It took Nathan a few moments, but he eventually got it open for us. Upon seeing what was on the other side of the hatch, we immediately knew we were in some sort of dream, or rather, nightmare. Down below wasn’t the interior of the locomotive like we imagined, but instead a large, cavernous area filled with what seemed to be corpses at the bottom. It was around a thirty- to forty-foot drop from where we were and none of us had rope. Curious to see if it was “real” or not, I drew one of my guns and fired a shot down into the hole. The shot echoed through the chamber and hit one of the fleshy bodies down below.</p><p>While we were standing around the hatch, we all heard an ominous voice ring in our ears. It was deep and menacing, coming from nowhere in particular, and it wasn’t exactly thrilled by our presence in its domain. It told us that this was not our fight and that we should just go on home or back to wherever it was that we came from. We then heard a child crying again which was coming from somewhere down below in the corpse chamber. Indeed, this was not our concern, at least, I didn’t think so. Our mission was to safeguard “the package” and make sure it got back into our superior’s hands within the Cyran government. It certainly wasn’t or included traversing some nightmare to save some random kid from some unspeakable horror.</p><p>So, since the disembodied voice just told us to go home, I said “sure” out loud. I flat out told it if I could just go home and leave the nightmare behind. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but soon after I spoke up, I found myself waking up on the lightning-rail again. It took me a moment to realize what was going on, but once I did, I jolted fully awake in my seat. I was back in the cabin along with the rest of my team, except they were still knocked-out and sleeping. I looked to Alexa to my side and checked to see if she was still alive. She was still breathing as were the other two. Once I had made sure they were okay, I got up and peeked out into the hall of the car we were in. I heard normal chatter and saw the occasional passenger leave the adjacent cabins as if nothing had even happened. It seemed that it worked and I was back in the real world.</p><p>As I let out a sigh of relief, a thought suddenly crossed my mind. If we were the only ones affected by the dream, perhaps we had been targeted on purpose, meaning that the package was potentially in danger. I tried to wake the others up, but nothing I tired worked. Seeing that the others were still asleep and stuck in the nightmare, I left the cabin to go check on the package on my own. I figured they’d be awake by the time I got back, and if they weren’t, I’d deal with it then.</p><p>I stood up from the bench and quickly flattened out the wrinkles in my nun disguise. After I was looking presentable, I left the cabin and began making my way to the back of the train where the cargo car was. As I moved along through the lightning-rail, everything seemed to be back to normal. Throughout the cars, there were passengers all around minding their own business, and there no signs of a disturbance. It seemed like we were the only ones affected by the weird dream.</p><p>Soon enough, I arrived at the cargo car and found it still locked with no signs of tampering. I peeked through the window and saw that our crate was still there, seemingly untouched since the start of the lightning-rail ride. I exhaled with relief and turned around, wondering what in the world the dream thing was all about. Seeing that everything was good to go, I headed back to the cabin where the others were hopefully awake and waiting for me.</p><p>When I got back to the cabin, the others were still asleep in the shared dream. After stepping inside and closing the door, I checked to see if they were still breathing. Thankfully they were, though, they had distressed looks on their faces. Whatever was going on in the nightmare, it probably wasn’t good. I just sat there next to Alexa, wondering how I was going to stir them safely from their slumber. While I was pondering the situation in my seat, I noticed the others start to stir awake on their own.</p><p>I sat up straight and looked to them all as their eyes slowly opened and began to come to. I happened to meet Nathan’s gaze as he finally shook off his slumber, so I gave him a friendly wave. Just as I did, he got up from his seat and leaned forward towards me, socking me right across the cheek with his fist. I rubbed my face where he hit me and glared at him as he sat back in his seat, crossing his arms over his chest. I guess he wasn’t too keen on me taking the easy way out. Then again, whatever he and the others went through in the dream wasn’t part of our mission. They did that to themselves, so at the time, I had no regrets on leaving them.</p><p>Once everyone was awake, they told me what they had to endure back in the dream after I had left. They told me they defeated some nightmarish monster that was the cause of the nightmare. It was preying on the fears of some kid who was a passenger on the lightning-rail and we just happened to get caught up in it. I was rather glad I didn’t have to deal with all that. It sounded like quite the hassle. We continued to chat until we finally arrived back in Sharn where we completed the missing by handing over our special cargo.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. For Duty and Country</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>In the ensuing months, I continued to work for the Cyran government and eventually got put on the frontlines as part of Maroon Company. I never saw [REDACTED], [REDACTED], or my friend [REDACTED] after that; I hoped they survived the Mourning, or at least, [REDACTED] anyway. While on the front, I met and befriended several new people… which was a mistake. Out of all the friends I had made on the Brelish Front, none of them survived to see the end of the war, which I’m not sure was a good or bad thing. At least those that died during battle did so fighting for something- fighting for their homeland and their loved ones. They were the lucky ones unlike the few of us who survived, left to pick up the pieces of the aftermath and witness our home become completely uninhabitable. Eventually, I just stopped talking to people and just kept interactions to a strictly professional level. I had become so disconnected from my surroundings and peers that I was just going about the motions, doing my best to survive the war.</p><p>My last assignment during the war was being part of the personal guard for the Brelish Front’s commander, Commander Lynn. She was in charge of all Cyran forces fighting along Breland’s western border and she was a great commander. I liked her. She was an older human woman who had seen her fair share of combat over the years, gaining many accolades and respect in her tenure as an honorable soldier. She was compassionate yet firm in her command which gained her much favor amongst her subordinates and peers. I guess she reminded me a lot of my mom which I guess was why I idolized her so much. After she saw my potential in the field, she personally took me on as an apprentice of sorts and kept me close as part of her personal guard. Since I was still considered an agent of [REDACTED] and not part of the regular army, I was free to do as I pleased and accepted her offer. I learned a lot under her instruction during the little time I had with her.</p><p>When the Mourning came, I was in Lynn’s command tent along with her and a few other officers. They were discussing strategy for the next upcoming offensive when we suddenly heard shouting and panicked shrieks from all around the camp. I drew my guns and followed Lynn and the others outside to see what was going on. Once we pushed aside the flap to the tent and stood outside, we were confused to see a heavy mist all around us.</p><p>As soon as Lynn was about to start barking orders, we saw massive projectile coming right at us from above, seemingly originating from where our artillery was supposed to be positioned. Seeing the sudden mass of wood and metal flying through the air, I froze in place, unable to move or seek cover. Just as it was about to hit us, Lynn put herself between me and the incoming threat. We were blown back by the force of the impact and knocked to the ground as it landed right in front of us. While I was recovering from the hit, I heard a feint voice coming from beside me. I looked over to see Lynn lying on her stomach with several pieces of sharp metal and wood embedded in her back.</p><p>I scooted closer to her and tried to assess her wounds, but it was no use. There were several pieces of shrapnel impaled into her body with one looking like it was close to her spine. She was bleeding rapidly as a pool of blood grew beneath her on the ground. I frantically looked around and cried out for a medic. Everyone else around the camp was just as frazzled as I was with several others calling out for a medic as well. As she lay dying on the ground, I couldn’t help but tear up and ask why she did that. In her dying breaths, she smiled and told me I reminded her a lot of her daughter. Later we found out that it was our own catapult that fired on us. The crew became disoriented in the mist and had misfired.</p><p>Shortly after the mist hit our camp, the officers reestablished order as we began to take care of the wounded and fix up the area. Unfortunately, Lynn died of her wounds which left her incompetent deputy as the ranking officer. The deputy was a horrible man, or at least, I thought so. Nobody seemed to like him and the only reason he was in such a position was because of his family’s influence. The other officers that were left had no confidence in him but were forced to obey his orders for the meantime.</p><p>Over the next couple of days, the camp continued to recover from the initial arrival of the ominous mist. The company commanders and other officers tried to figure out what was going on while the regular troops tried to keep their bearing. In addition to the mist, we began to experience slight tremors and quakes which didn’t help calm the nerves of the troops. Unexpectedly, a messenger coming from the direction of the capital arrived at our camp to relay a message. He told us that the capital was lost and that most of the land towards the center of the country was in chaos. Once we heard the news, we couldn’t believe it. At that point, I figured that Cyre had lost the war, so nothing good could come from being associated with the losing nation. I had lost everything and everyone, so there was no use sticking around. After hearing the news, I went back to my tent and began gathering my things.</p><p>While I was there packing my backpack, I was confronted by the new commander asking where I was going. He knew the war was lost and needed every soldier he could muster to keep him safe. He figured that as a noble of Cyre, the enemy would love to get their hands on him to either kill or torture. I plainly told him that I was needed elsewhere and was going to go on my merry way. Of course, that was a lie as I planned to turn tail and escape into Breland before I was caught by Brelish soldiers. Once I had everything I needed, I tried to go around him to exit my tent, but he stopped me, aggressively grabbing my arm. He told me I wasn’t going anywhere and ordered me to stay and defend him until he could figure out what to do next. I just glared at him and spat at his feet, reminding him that I was still an agent of [REDACTED] so he had no authority over me.</p><p>In hindsight, that was a rather poor move as I had known that Lynn’s deputy had a short-temper and was rather brutish in nature. As soon as I finished talking, he smacked me right across the face and pushed me towards the back of my tent. I was caught rather off-guard and appalled that he’d stoop so low as to strike a woman, but then again, it was the deputy I was dealing with. I rubbed my cheek then lashed out with a feeble punch, but he easily brushed it off and smacked me again, knocking me to the ground on my ass. I wasn’t exactly the strongest or most apt at close-quarters fighting. I was a long-range fighter, so I was fairly out of my element when I was confronted by the deputy inside my tent. Oh yeah, and I forget to mention; the deputy was also a lecherous womanizer.</p><p>As I tried to regain my composure while on the ground, he crouched down next to me and held a dagger to my neck. He told me to just shut up and obey his orders if I didn’t want to get hurt. Suddenly, there was shouting and yelling from within the camp. While the deputy was distracted by the commotion, I just glared at him and slowly reached for my gun at my side just in case he tried anything funny. He was still hunched over me with a knife to my jugular, so I wasn’t exactly in a position to try anything just yet. We then heard that we were under attack and the Brelish were closing in; I guessed they had also received word that Cyre was done for.</p><p>Once we heard the sounds of fighting getting closer, the deputy looked to me with an expression of dread and complete fright on his face. He figured his time was up and that he was going to be dead or worse by day’s end. He held the dagger more firmly against my neck and said that if he was going to die, he was going to have a little fun first. As he moved over me and reached for my pants, I discreetly drew my gun and fired two shots into his gut. He immediately went limp as his breathing became feint and haggard. The hand the dagger was in also went limp and slumped off to the side. I quickly pushed him off me and scurried away from him across the ground, staring at the deputy as he lay next to me barely alive.</p><p>Hearing the sounds of battle again, I broke out of my terrified state and hurriedly gathered my things. There was no time to lose as I had to escape the camp before it became completely overrun. Since I was a member of [REDACTED] and an outside hire, I didn’t have to wear Cyran military uniform and got to remain in my normal civilian clothes. That helped me hide from Brelish and Cyran forces as I stealthily made my way out of the camp and into the Brelish countryside. Since both sides were distracted by one another, I easily got away and headed further into Breland with the hopes of starting a new life.</p><p> </p><p>#</p><p> </p><p>After the Day of Mourning and subsequent signing of the Treaty of Thronehold, I remained in Breland and moved around from here to there while acting as a loner. Eventually, I picked up bounty-hunting again and made a living doing that. As time went on, I began to become curious about the current state of Cyre and my old home within it; there were some things I wanted to get from there if at all possible. I just hoped my home wasn’t ransacked or completely demolished by the mysterious explosion. After thinking on it one day, I prepared to make a journey by myself into old Cyre which was renamed the Mournland.</p><p>It was a foolish endeavor, but how was I supposed to know the Mournland was as bad as everyone said it was. All I heard were just rumors about an ominous mist and potential outlandish creatures that called the Mournland their home. I was a former covert spy and bounty hunter, so as long as I had my guns with me, I was fine. At least, that was what I thought going into the start of my journey. I trekked back to the border between Breland and Cyre and recklessly continued into the Mournland on my own.</p><p>As soon as I entered the mist, my surroundings became a lot darker, almost as if it was about to become night. I arrived at the border around midday and the sky was clear and sunny. I guess the mist was so thick that it prevented a lot of the sun’s light from getting through. It was a good thing I brought a torch just in case, so I lit it up. It was still hard to see in front of me, but not as bad as when I didn’t have the torch lit.</p><p>At first, things were okay except for a slight tingling sensation on my skin, but as far as I could tell, I was completely fine. Then it happened. I was ambushed by a frightening creature that came out of the fog. It got a lucky hit in on me and caught me off-guard, slashing me across my left eye. I immediately lost sight in it and completely panicked, drawing my gun with my free hand and firing wildly. I wasn’t sure if any of my shots hit because I just turned around and started running. The creature fortunately didn’t pursue me, and once I was sure I had put some distance between myself and it, I reluctantly turned back around to face it.</p><p>I just stood there with my revolver aimed right at the creature in case it started to advance towards me. Those eyes. All I saw was a silhouette of the creature and its eyes glowing in the mist which obscured its overall image. I remembered my heart racing as I tried to catch my breath, nearly frozen in terror as I tightly gripped my gun. After a few moments, the creature let out a screech or growl before turning to head back further into the mist. I just remained standing there until I was alone once more and aiming at nothing at all. Eventually, my legs gave out as I slumped to the ground, my arm finally relaxing as my grip loosened on the revolver in my hand. I let go of my gun and reached up to my injured eye. I still couldn’t see out of it and there was blood from the scratch marks the creature made. I trembled as I sat there by my lonesome, unable to comprehend what had just happened.</p><p>Suddenly, the sounds of howling or roaring in the distance shook me from my frightened state. I quickly picked up my pistol and got back on my feet, retracing my steps as I headed back towards the border between Breland and the Mournland. Thankfully, I made it there safely without any more incidents as the mist finally cleared. I was back in Breland, so I decided to cut my losses and head home. I never went back into the Mournland or even near it by myself after that excursion. That one experience scarred me for life, in more ways than one.</p><p>Once I got back home, I decided to take a break from bounty-hunting to see if there was anything that could be done to fix my eye. I went to healer after healer, but they said they couldn’t help me. Someone even mentioned getting it removed and having a prosthesis implanted, but I declined. I wasn’t exactly keen on having a part of me removed and replaced with something artificial. As far as I could tell, my eye was still intact and all that was different was that the eyeball turned black and my iris changed color to bright-red. It wasn’t infected and it didn’t hurt at all. It just didn’t work like it used to. In the end, I gave up on trying to fix it and just got an eyepatch to cover it. The smaller scratches I received also healed, but there was one big scar that one of the scratches left. The eyepatch I had gotten covered most of it up which was nice.</p><p>After failing to get my eye fixed, I tried my hand at shooting again. Since I had lost my depth perception, I was rather bad in the beginning, but over time, I got better. Eventually, I got pretty decent but still not up to the level of proficiency I once had with both my eyes. Once I got the hang of shooting again, I slowly began to get back into bounty-hunting. I started off with easy targets which didn’t pay as well, but I had to start somewhere with my handicap weighing me down.</p><p>Things were fine for a little while. I managed to get a job every now and then and didn’t have too much trouble completing them. Unfortunately, as time went on, the jobs began to dry up and I wasn’t able to make ends meet. So, after I had saved up a bit of money, I packed everything up that I wanted to keep and sold the rest. I then began making my way to the big city in search of better opportunities. The city of Sharn was where all the action was, or so I was told.</p>
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<a name="section0004"><h2>4. City of Heights</h2></a>
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    <p>The trip to Sharn wasn’t so bad. I used what little funds I had and bought a ticket to ride the lightning-rail all the way to the city. I just hoped I was able to find work somehow once I got there because if I didn’t, I’d more or less be stuck.</p><p>When I finally arrived at the city, I looked on in awe at the sheer grandeur of the place. I had been there once or twice before, but every time I visited, I was left awestruck. Having grown in a small town up in the countryside, big cities like Sharn nearly overwhelmed me.</p><p>After getting off the lightning-rail, I looked around and eventually got myself a modest hotel room for the time being. My mom and I lived a modest lifestyle when I was growing up, so I didn’t necessarily need the most lavish options Sharn had to offer, and I knew it had a lot to offer in the form of opulence. Once I had settled into my hotel room, I left to begin my hunt for job opportunities.</p><p>During the ride to Sharn, I heard about a potential employment opportunity in the form of the Clifftop Adventurers Guild. They were an organization that took on jobs of all sorts for whoever required the use of their talents. I figured that with my handicap, I probably needed to get back into working with others, at least, until I had earned a bit of coin and was more or less back to my old self. From the hotel I was staying at, I ventured out into the busy streets and headed towards the Clifftop Adventurers Guild.</p><p>When I got here, the person I talked to said there was going to be another initiation trial in a few days, so I just had to wait around until then. He also told me there was a one-time admission fee which I paid right there and then. The guild seemed reputable enough and had a good standing within the community, so I felt confident that I’d be able to pass the trial and gain entry into their ranks. Once I finished up my business at the guild, I decided to better familiarize myself with my new home.</p><p> </p><p>#</p><p> </p><p>Over the next few days, I explored the city, taking mental note of landmarks, stores, and services, amongst other things. I also made sure to familiarize myself with the city’s culture and laws; I didn’t want to stand out too much or draw unwanted attention to myself. During my down time, I decided to indulge in the many pleasures Sharn had to offer. I figured I might as well take advantage of my little vacation while I could. The first thing I did was find a place to get a massage.</p><p>I’d always been fond of full-body massages, though, I only got them if the masseuse was female; I didn’t exactly trust guys to touch my bare body so intimately like that. Whenever I was in a city that had a massage parlor or whatever, I usually got one to work out the kinks in my tired, achy body. I found them very soothing and a perfect way to relax after a job or sometimes several. I first got one with my friend, [REDACTED], after one of our earliest missions together while we were in the [REDACTED]. She found a place back in the capital and we both got one together at her insistence. From then on, I usually got a massage to relax my body and better prepare myself for the next job. So when I found that Sharn had plenty of luxurious massage parlors to choose from, I just had to give them a try.</p><p>After my relaxing, one-hour massage, I roamed around town some more until it started to get late in the day. I was a bit sleepy after being so relaxed and pampered at the massage parlor. I got a bite to eat for dinner then headed on back to the hotel.</p><p>During my vacation, I did a few other things to keep myself busy. I found a reliable merchant which sold ammunition that my revolvers could make use of. I did some shopping and purchased a few other things, though, I didn’t spend a whole lot since I didn’t have much funds to begin with. On the last day before the initiation, I decided to check out a museum of sorts where I heard they had an exhibit featuring old firearms. I was downright curious since I loved learning about guns, so I headed there to check it out.</p>
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<a name="section0005"><h2>5. First Impressions</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>My trip to the museum was rather interesting and I had honestly lost track of time. There was so much to see and read that my head was almost bursting with new information. It was late at night when I finally left the museum to make my way back to my hotel. The rain had picked up and it was pouring heavily. I sneered to myself and buttoned up my duster as I prepared to brave the downpour.</p><p>As I was walking along through the rain, I happened to notice a person lying out in the open on the bridge ahead of me. The body wasn’t moving and there seemed to be blood on the ground, but the rain was washing it away. I paused, looking around to see if the culprit was still there. There were other people around the immediate area, but I didn’t think they were involved. A couple of them then noticed the body as well and rushed over to help the individual if they could. They didn’t look like city watchmen to me but instead just innocent bystanders. I didn’t want to get involved if I didn’t have to; things like that were a job for the city watch. Shortly after I noticed the body, people started to congregate around the scene to see what was going on. I remained detached from the situation and watched everything unfold, standing amongst the growing crowd of onlookers.</p><p>While the two bystanders were inspecting the body, an unknown individual came up from underneath the bridge and positioned themselves behind them. I found it odd and immediately readied to draw my guns just in case. I kept a close eye on the cloaked figure then witnessed it begin to attack. Seeing as there were no guards or watchmen around, I drew my guns and jumped into action. There were civilians at risk and I couldn’t just sit back and watch them get injured or worse.</p><p>I engaged the unknown assailant along with other civilians who decided to lend a hand. There was a human woman, a human man, a male warforged, and a peculiar moose-person that also had an earth elemental companion fighting alongside it. The crowd around us scattered once the fighting started, so there weren’t any unnecessary civilian casualties besides the initial body we saw. We easily fended off the attack with me getting the last hit in on the attacker using one of my guns. I shot it right through the head on my second shot, which was pretty lucky considering my target was moving, it was nighttime, and it was raining heavily. Once the area was secured, I went over to see who the victim and attacker were.</p><p>Those who helped during the fight also stuck around and gathered near the defeated enemy. It turned out that the mystery assailant was a female warforged and she was the one that killed the person on the bridge. During the fighting, the assailant said something about being part of the Lord of Blades, which was a group composed of disgruntled warforged who were displeased with their creators. Thankfully, not all warforged were like them and they only made up a small minority amongst their kind.</p><p>While the warforged who aided me in the fight was inspecting the dead assailant, he found a bag of 15 ball bearings and handed them to me, figuring I could make better use of them. I was surprised that he’d do such a thing, so I gratefully took them. It wasn’t like their previous owner had any need for them anymore. My revolvers used metal cartridges primarily, but if I ever found the right materials, I was able to use the ball bearings as projectiles and fashion some paper cartridges using them.</p><p>After inspecting the dead warforged, some of the others went about trying to identify the victim. He was a male human and after digging around in his pockets, they discovered he was some professor from a nearby university. While we were figuring out who the victim was, a cloaked woman came out of the crowd and approached us. She said that she needed our help and wanted to meet the next morning at the Broken Anvil Tavern. Before we could look up to see who she was and ask for clarification, she had slipped back into the crowd and seemingly disappeared.</p><p>I got so wrapped up in everything that just happened that I lost touch of time. Normally, I would’ve left long ago to avoid interacting with the guards or watchmen, but that time, I was too distracted by everything that was going on. Soon enough, a few members of the city watch arrived on the scene to take control of everything. Myself, like the others who helped out, were stuck at the scene of the crime. I raised my hands to signify I wasn’t a threat and waited for the watchmen to get closer. Thankfully, some of the others in the group took the lead and explained everything to the sergeant in-charge of investigating the crime scene.</p><p>The officer in-charge, Sergeant Dolon, told us not to leave just yet and that he was going to interrogate us all individually. He wanted to make sure our stories corroborated to weed out any potential false accounts. Great. My first week in Sharn and I was already in the local city watch’s records for being involved in a crime scene. When it was my turn, I told the sergeant everything he wanted to know. He took notes and made sure my story checked out before letting me go. After the sergeant was done talking to everyone that took part in the fight, he told us to not leave the city before continuing with his investigation.</p><p>Before I could continue on my way, the large warforged who fought alongside me suggested that we –and by we, I mean everyone who fought the hostile warforged- all head to a tavern to talk about what just happened. It was late at night and I didn’t want anything else to do with the crime scene. Plus, I had the Clifftop Adventurers Guild initiation the next day, so I had to prepare myself. I was about to leave but then the warforged, whose name I later learned was Cloth, offered to buy us all a round at the bar and pay for lodging for the night. I sighed then took him up on the offer, at least, just for the free drink.</p><p>Once everyone in the group had agreed to meet up, we left the crime scene to find a suitable tavern to drink and talk at. Cloth knew of a place and led us there. Once we had arrived, we all sat down at a table together. Keeping true to his word, he ordered us all a round of ale and decided to strike up a conversation with us all. The details of everything that was said amongst the group were hazy; I was very tired and had one drink already in me. I mostly remained quiet and listened every now and then to whoever was speaking while I finished off my ale.</p><p>While everyone was talking, someone brought up the cloaked woman from earlier who came over to us after the battle. They wanted to see why she needed our help, but I wasn’t too keen on that. When they asked me why I wasn’t interested, I told them that I had a prior engagement in the afternoon and had to prepare in the morning. Eventually, I told them that I had signed up to join the Clifftop Adventurers Guild and was participating in the initiation ceremony or whatever it was. As soon as I said that, everyone looked to me with a surprised look and said that they too were going to take part in the same event. It turned out that they had all signed up to join the guild as well. What a coincidence.</p><p>Since we were all going to the same event, they persuaded me to join them in investigating the mysterious woman in the morning. I relented and said that I’d join them as long as we made it to the initiation on time. If we were going to be potentially working together, I figured I might as well start making connections.</p><p>Not wanting to stay up any later than I already had, I took Cloth up on his offer for a free room. I figured it’d be easier in the morning if we were all staying at the same place. I went back to my old room and retrieved my stuff before heading back to the inn where everyone else was staying at. It was a little bit more rundown than my last room, but it was passable so I had nothing to complain about. After I had settled in, I went to bed and almost immediately fell asleep. I didn’t even have time to clean my guns.</p><p> </p><p>#</p><p> </p><p>After waking up the next morning, I got ready and met up with everyone down below in the tavern. Since I was out of it the night before, I asked everyone for their names again since I had forgotten them. The female human archer’s name was Layla. The male human glaive-wielder was called Lost, which I found rather odd but whatever; I’d met people with weirder names. There was Cloth, the warforged whom I remembered. Lastly, there was the moose-person who was named Asmundr while his summoned earth elemental companion was named Vermundr.</p><p>Once we had gotten the reintroductions out of the way, we left the tavern to find the meeting place the woman had told us to meet her at. I had only been in Sharn for a few days, so I wasn’t familiar with every little tavern and inn within the city. Luckily, someone knew where to go and guided us there. The tavern was located in the lower levels of the city, meaning it was in the poorer district where everything was lacking the panache of the upper levels.</p><p>When we entered the Broken Anvil Tavern, we looked around then spotted a cloaked woman sitting at a table by herself. We exchanged unsure glances between ourselves then made our way over to her, asking if she was the one who needed our assistance. She gave a nod and gestured for us to take a seat. After we were all seated around the table, she introduced herself properly and said her name was Lady Elaydren d’Cannith of House Cannith. She had a job for us after seeing how capable we were last night during the fight with the rogue warforged.</p><p>Lady Elaydren had a particular item she wanted us to hunt down and retrieve. It was something called a schema or whatever. She described it as a plate made out of adamantine and shaped like a 7-pointed star. The person that was killed on the bridge was an associate of hers and had located the item in question, but before he could give her the location, he was attacked by the warforged and killed. She then placed a journal on the table that one of the others recognized after having found it on her associate’s body. The thing was, the last time they saw it was when we handed it over, along with other pieces of evidence, to the city watch. I figured Lady Elaydren had some connections within the watch if she was able to get it back so quickly.</p><p>We asked why Lady Elaydren needed us in particular and she said that it was a matter of urgency. She needed a capable group that she could trust to retrieve the item by the end of the week. There were plenty of adventurers and guilds in the city that she could have gone to, but for some reason, she had a good feeling about us. Little did she know, we had only met the night before and barely knew each other, if at all. To sweeten the deal, she planned to pay each of us a total of 1,000gp for the retrieval of the item, even going so far as to pay us 100 of it upfront. With that kind of money on the table, the job was pretty enticing and hard to pass up.</p><p>The group and I talked amongst ourselves for a bit and ended up accepting her offer. My only concern was it potentially getting in the way of our obligation to the Clifftop Adventurers Guild, but the others said it was fine. I mean, it was a total of 1,000 gold coins we were talking about. I didn’t know what kind of money we’d be making in the guild, but that was a nice start. I put my doubts aside and continued to listen to Lady Elaydren speak.</p><p>Once we had accepted her job, Lady Elaydren continued on and told us more about it. She explained that since the Lord of Blades, the faction that the warforged who killed her associate was a member of, knew about the item, they’d most likely be going after it as well. While she was telling all that to us, she took the journal on the table and placed her signet ring against it. When the others first found the journal, it appeared to be blank on the inside with nothing written on the pages; however, after Lady Elaydren used her ring to decrypt the journal, its contents were revealed to us. Among its contents was a map that her associate had made before he died. It outlined directions that led to the item Lady Elaydren was so intent on obtaining before it fell into the wrong hands. She gave the journal to Layla to use then bid us farewell after all our questions had been answered.</p><p>After getting all the details from Lady Elaydren, we left the Broken Anvil Tavern to make our way over to the Clifftop Adventurers Guild. We were right on schedule and had plenty of time before noon to prepare for the initiation. During the walk there, we conversed a little between each other but not much. I was more focused on what the initiation was going to be and what it entailed. The representative at the guild didn’t tell me much, so I had no idea what to expect.</p><p>Upon arriving at the Clifftop District, we saw some sort of stage set up off to the side in front of the guild’s entrance. Confused as to what was going on, we all went over and looked for a person from the guild. Eventually, we found someone and let them know we were there for the initiation ceremony. They told us to standby and wait for further instructions, giving us a strange token to hold on to. They said not to break or lose it and that was about it. The representatives from the guild were unwilling to tell us any specifics regarding the initiation and just said to wait. So that was what I did- I waited.</p><p>Eventually, an elf gentleman took position on the stage and got the crowd’s attention. I remained standing by the others and looked to the man, wondering what he was about to say. Once all eyes were on him, he welcomed everyone to the Clifftop Adventurers Guild initiation challenge. At first, I wasn’t sure that I heard him correctly when he said “challenge”, so I just brushed it off and continued to listen. He told the crowd that we, the initiates, were to face off against members of the rival guild, the Deathsgate Guild, in a little bit of friendly competition for sport. He then pointed over to me and the others from my group before gesturing to the group of Deathsgate initiates. I gave them a nonchalant wave, but they weren’t the sportsmanlike type. They gave me and the others a rude look and began spouting some insults and other things. Lost and Cloth fired back with taunts of their own before the elf continued explaining what the initiation actually consisted of.</p><p>The elf said that the challenge was a test of fortitude and grit with a bit of surprise sprinkled in. Standing on the edge of the level we were on, all of the initiates were going to jump off and the last one to activate their token before hitting the ground was the winner. The tokens we were given were special Tokens of Featherfall. When broken after we jumped, the tokens would make us start falling at a slow, safe pace until we reached the ground. As soon as he mentioned that, the group and I exchanged worried looks. From where we were, the ground was a long way down, so a lot could happen between us jumping and reaching the bottom. The elf continued and said the challenge was a group effort, so myself and the others with me were going to represent the Clifftop Adventurers Guild while the other group was representing the Deathsgate Guild.</p><p>After the elf announcer was done explaining everything, he told all the initiates to line up on the edge. By then, we were still apprehensive about the whole thing and asked for clarification about what we were supposed to do. The elf answered any questions we had then urged us to take our positions so we could begin. I let out a weary sigh and took off my hat, handing it to the elf and telling him not to lose it. I then took my position on the edge along with Cloth, Lost, Layla, Asmundr, and Vermundr.</p><p>As I stood on the edge, I looked down and saw the ground way off in the distance below us. I reached into my pocket and pulled out the Token of Featherfall, making sure it was clutched firmly in my hand and ready to be broken at a moment’s notice. I was lucky I wasn’t afraid of heights or I’d never have gotten through that experience. Once everyone from both guilds were ready to go, the elf did a countdown then gave us the signal to jump. I was rather nervous about the jump, but I was in dire need of work and if jumping meant work, then so be it. As soon as the signal was given, I stepped off the edge along with the others and began plummeting straight down to the ground.</p><p>I reckoned Asmundr and Vermundr weren’t fond of heights or the task at hand, because once they stepped off, they immediately activated their Tokens of Featherfall and began to slowly descend at a safe pace. Either that or they mistakenly broke their tokens at the same time, but I guessed it was probably the former. The rest of us, however, continued on as we dived down to reach the bottom before the Deathsgate guys did. We were falling at full speed and it was pretty difficult to control my movement in the air. There were some pretty close calls along the way, narrowly dodging the occasional obstacle and whatnot. Most of the Deathsgate guys encountered problems and had to use their Tokens of Featherfall early, giving us the advantage. I even had a close call of my own as one of the Deathsgate guys hit a bird or something, causing me to graze it on my way down. Fortunately, I was able to keep my wits about me and continue on without having to use the token prematurely. Eventually, it was just us -minus Asmundr and Vermundr who were still slowly descending- and one other Deathsgate Guild member.</p><p>As the ground drew near, about 50ft away or so, the last Deathsgate decided they had enough and used their token. The rest of us zoomed on by which made us the victor… assuming we lived and landed safely. Since there were others in my group, I decided to play it safe and activate my token with a good amount of distance between me and the ground. I wasn’t sure how long it’d take to activate and wanted extra time in case I messed it up. Thankfully, once I snapped the token in my hand, I slowed down and began to fall at a safe pace. The others broke their tokens shortly after I did, but Layla waited until the last possible moment to break hers.</p><p>Upon reaching the ground safe and sound, I looked to the others with a relieved look. Some were just as glad as I was that it was over while others were more thrilled by the experience. The relief was short-lived as we noticed a commotion happening off in the distance. We had caught a brief glimpse of it during our fall, but we couldn’t make out what was happening until we were on the ground. There appeared to be a woman on the edge of a nearby bridge above us and she was surrounded by a crowd of people. There also seemed to be a watchmen next to her trying to arrest her or something like that. It was high up there, so I couldn’t make out the specifics, but if there was a watchmen present, then it didn’t concern me. My comrades, however, thought otherwise and took it upon themselves to investigate it.</p><p>I didn’t want anything to do with it and just waited where I was. I mean, we were in the middle of our initiation into the Clifftop Adventurers Guild, our new employers. What if there was more to the initiation than just the falling challenge? I just shook my head and watched as the rest of my group indifferently headed off, taking an elevator up to where the woman and crowd were. While I was watching from below, I looked back to where the woman on the bridge was. I noticed the guard begin to get a bit more physical which caused the woman to drop her books and hat over the side of the bridge. The hat got caught in the wind, but the books landed on the ground right below where she was on the bridge. I looked to the books then up to the woman and gave a heavy sigh. I then went over and picked up her books before taking the elevator up to return them to her.</p><p>Upon getting off the elevator, I noticed that the crowd had dispersed and my group was huddled around the woman who was in distress. The watchman was nowhere in sight, so I figured the others must’ve intervened and gotten themselves needlessly involved for some reason. I let out a sigh and made my way over to them, returning the books to the woman in distress. I told her I couldn’t get find her hat, but at least she had her books back. She was very gracious and was glad that I had returned her books to her.</p><p>After I had talked briefly with her, the others explained that the watchman and crowd were trying to throw her off the bridge. They said that the woman had an aberrant dragonmark suddenly appear on her body which caused her to accidentally use its magic in public, frightening those around her. She tried to explain to them that it was an accident, but the crowd wasn’t having any of it, going so far as to call the city watch on her. It wasn’t until the others had arrived that the situation was diffused and the woman more or less rescued. After the woman thanked us again and went about her business, the others and I headed back down to talk with the group that was waiting for us.</p><p>When we finally made our way back, all of the Deathsgate members had landed and were accompanied by a couple other people. The Deathsgate guys were looking rather sour and gave us looks of disdain as we approached. The elf announcer was there along with a woman I did not recognize, standing away from the Deathsgate group.</p><p>We approached the elf and the woman and were promptly congratulated on winning the challenge. The elf had my hat with him, so I thanked him for not losing it and took it back. After the well-deserved praise, the woman introduced herself to us and said her name was Lhara. She also happened to be a shifter, but she only mentioned it in passing. She was going to be our handler at the Clifftop Adventurers Guild and was in-charge of getting jobs, acting as our caretaker of sorts.</p><p>Right after introducing herself, she immediately went into talking about business and gave us our first job. She wanted us to head down into the Cogs below Sharn and retrieve something called a “Burning Idol”, or something. She then gave us a note to give to someone down there who was going to take care of it for us. Once she had explained everything to the group, she left and told us to bring the Burning Idol back to her office at the guild. We all stood around, somewhat confused as to what we were supposed to do but then quickly shook it off. Everything was happening so fast that I barely had time to digest what we had just done.</p>
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<a name="section0006"><h2>6. A Brief Diversion</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>We discussed the two missions we had on our hands and decided to proceed with the first one we received from Lady Elaydren. Even though we had an official job from our new employers, the one from Lady Elaydren seemed more pressing at the time and we did get paid a part of the reward upfront. The others felt like it was the one to tackle first, so I went along with them. Getting an extra 900gp didn’t hurt. As long as we didn’t take too long and eventually moved on to completing Lhara’s task, everything was going to be fine. It wasn’t like Lhara gave us a time limit for her job or anything, though, I imagined she wanted it done in a timely fashion.</p><p>Before continuing with the mission that was going to take us deep underneath the city, we all split off to prepare ourselves and procure any needed supplies. I went and got myself another Potion of Cure Light Wounds and a few other items using the money I received from Lady Elaydren. I bought flint &amp; steel, 50ft of hemp rope, and some rations- just a few things in case I needed them. After we had all gotten what we needed, we met back up to embark on our mission.</p><p>Layla took out the journal with the map in it and looked it over. She glanced it over and began leading the way through the streets of Sharn. The map said to head to the lowest level possible and find a way into the sewers, so that was what we set out to do. We proceeded onwards, heading down to the lower levels of the city where goblins and other races had domain. During our walk through the old streets of an old goblin settlement, Layla found a landmark on the map that had a sewer access point. We stopped and found ourselves outside a goblin tailor.</p><p>The tailor’s shop was open, so we headed on inside. The shop was empty except for the owner who greeted us upon entry. We looked around and found a sealed door behind the counter, figuring that was the sewer access point. The others asked the owner of the shop about the door, but he had never been able to get it open. He also didn’t know what was behind it or why it was sealed in the first place. After insisting that we investigate it and getting the owner’s permission, the others went about trying to get the door open.</p><p>Eventually, Cloth managed to get the door open with a bit of force, setting it off to the side once it was off the hinges. As soon as the seal was broken on the door, the stench of the sewer immediately filled our noses. I wasn’t sure if Cloth could smell it, being a warforged and all, but the rest of us surely could. The owner was kind of upset that the door was opened and that his entire shop smelled like raw sewage. The others told him they’d close and secure the door when we came back out.</p><p>Looking into the breach, Cloth took the lead followed by everyone else. I picked up the rear as I did my best to cover my nose and keep from smelling the foul odor. As we descended into the sewer system, it got a lot darker, so Cloth used some magic to light our way. Asmundr also lit a torch which helped out a lot since I was more towards the rear of the group. We continued on and ended up taking a side path alongside the river of sewage.</p><p>Curious, Lost wanted to see how deep the sewage was and dipped his glaive in. I watched in horror as it continued to sink deeper until eventually, Lost withdrew it and figured the sewage was more than five feet deep. I cringed at the sight of the river of refuse, never having thought it was that deep. Not wanting to die by drowning in filth, I took my rope and turned to Lost, asking if I could tie myself to him in case I fell in somehow. I told him I couldn’t swim and didn’t feel safe being so close to the edge of the river. He denied my request but directed me to Cloth, saying he was probably willing. I frowned then carefully made my way up to Cloth and asked him the same request. Thankfully, he obliged, so I quickly gave him the other end to my rope for him to tie around his waist. It wasn’t much, but it was better than nothing.</p><p>After heading further down the path, we discovered an ooze trail that led off into the distance. I hadn’t encountered an ooze before, but I had heard stories of their unassuming yet threatening nature. The others felt uneasy being in such an enclosed space with a possible ooze lurking about. We then decided to double back and exit the sewer before it caught sight of us.</p><p>When we made it back inside the tailor’s shop, the others went about securing the door to make sure the ooze didn’t get out. Perhaps that was why the door was sealed in the first place. Cloth moved it back into place while Asmundr began using his magic to mend it. Meanwhile, the rest of us just loitered around the shop until they were finished. Since we were out of the sewer and away from the dangerous river of filth, I untied myself from Cloth and coiled up the rope before stowing it away.</p><p>Suddenly, a bugbear came barging into the shop and proceeded right to the front counter. The abrupt nature of her arrival put me on edge, but seeing as she wasn’t noticeably hostile, I removed my hand from the gun at my side. Though, I still kept an eye on her. It seemed like she was a customer actually, and remembering the locale that we were currently in, it wasn’t too farfetched to believe so. When the bugbear approached the shop’s owner, she asked for her order but unfortunately, the owner said it wasn’t ready yet. That didn’t register well with her and she began to act rowdy, demanding what she ordered even though it wasn’t finished yet. She then started knocking things over and destroying merchandise in retaliation for the inconvenience.</p><p>Once the bugbear began to get combative and start destroying the goblin’s shop, she crossed a line that I could no longer ignore. I drew my gun in my right hand and walked up behind her while she was distracted by the goblin owner. Just as I was about to raise my gun and place it against the back of her head to get her to stop, Asmundr cast a spell and dazed her. It seemed like the others had had enough of her rambunctiousness as well and told her to cut it out and leave. The bugbear was still acting rowdy, so Cloth dragged her out of the shop and tossed her onto the street, telling her to get out of there before things got ugly for her. The bugbear grumbled then started to stumble off as her dazed-state began to wear off.</p><p>After the confrontation was dealt with, Asmundr finished resealing the door and apologized to the goblin for any trouble that we may have caused. The owner said it was fine and just wanted us out of his shop already if we weren’t going to buy anything. The others helped clean things up then left the establishment, heading back out onto the streets and checking the map. We had a feeling that we were in the wrong spot and upon further investigation, we indeed were. We were still on the wrong level and needed to descend one more to reach the spot where we needed to go.</p><p>We continued to follow Layla’s lead and the map until we eventually got lost trying to navigate the dirty, grungy streets of the goblin level. Unsure of where to go, the others looked around for someone to ask for directions. We spotted a goblin peddler along the way and decided to walk on over to him. The others asked him for directions, but the peddler was rather tightlipped until he received some sort of compensation for his assistance on the matter. Asmundr haggled with the peddler and agreed to buy a few items in exchange for the information. Layla also bought a couple things including a small goblin top hat which was way too small for her. Once they handed over the coins for their purchases, the peddler agreed to lead us to where we needed to go. He showed us to where the sewer access was then stopped, saying he wasn’t going to go any further. We told him not to tell anyone where we were headed before he went back to his stall. After he left, we proceeded on with the hopes that we were heading in the right direction.</p><p>While we were walking, I happened to notice someone watching us. I caught glimpse of a shifter before they disappeared back into the crowd. There were others around us as well, but they didn’t seem to do anything and quickly disappeared as well. I found it strange, but as long as they kept their distance and didn’t bother us, then there was no need to worry.</p><p>Eventually, we arrived at a drainage area that seemingly led further into the sewers. We continued on but were then confronted by two shifters wearing cloaks. As those in front moved out into the open to engage them in the drainage basin, I noticed an enemy trying to hide itself in the stairway we were in. Once it noticed me, it came out from hiding and brandished a weapon at me and Layla. I guess it was trying to ambush those of us in the rear of the group, so I quickly drew my pistol and shot in square in the head at near point-blank range. Unfortunately, Layla was right in front of me and when I fired my gun, it was right next to her head. There wasn’t much room to maneuver in the tight hallway and I kind of reacted on instinct, but at least the warforged was taken care of before it could attack us. Layla didn’t suffer any injuries other than a slight ringing in her ear, so I counted that as a win. Of course, I apologized to Layla afterwards for firing my gun right next to her head and she said it was fine since the situation warranted it.</p><p>Shortly after I expertly dispatched the warforged in the stairwell, the others finished off the two shifters as well. Once the area was secure, we took a moment to loot their bodies to see if we could find any clues. We wanted to know who they were, who they worked for, and why they were after us. We didn’t find much, but the warforged I killed seemed to belong to the same group the other one we encountered was part of- the Lord of Blades. Lady Elaydren did warn us that the group was after the item we were sent to retrieve, so their appearance wasn’t so surprising. After we had found out all we could, we continued on our way to retrieve the item before any more of them showed up.</p><p>Heading down the way, we came across a door made of mithril. It had a symbol on it similar to the one on the journal that Lady Elaydren had given us. The others tried to open it, but it was securely shut, seemingly by magic. Since we saw Lady Elaydren use her ring to reveal the contents of the book, we figured that by pressing the journal with the symbol on it against the door, it should open it up. Layla took the journal and pressed the cover of it against the door, touching the symbols together. I didn’t know what to expect since I wasn’t particularly an expert on magic, but to my surprise, it actually worked. The door opened up, revealing a shaft situated in-between some pipes that led downwards.</p><p>Wanting to see how deep it was, Asmundr found some refuse and dropped it down the shaft. It went down for a bit then made a splat as it seemingly reached the bottom. Cloth then wanted to see if it was a straight shot down or if it curved, so I handed him one of the ball bearings he gave me earlier. He dropped it down along the side and the metal ball made a loud sound at the bottom, meaning there wasn’t a gradual curve at the end. Once we had a feel for how deep the shaft was, Asmundr undid his rope and secured it to a sturdy pipe. Meanwhile, Cloth lit the other end of the rope with a spell then tossed it down the shaft.</p><p>As the illuminated end of the rope descended, we caught a quick glimpse of what was along the walls of the shaft. There were bugs all over the place not to mention all the old sewage crusted around the sides. I cringed slightly at the notion of sliding down the rope surrounded by all that. Lost volunteered to go first and after he grabbed on to the rope, began descending down into the shaft’s depths. We waited until he finally reached the bottom, making sure the area was clear before letting the next person go.</p><p>Layla decided to go next and easily made it down to where Lost was. He moved out of the way and made room for her to touch down. Once the area below was clear, it was my turn. Cloth and Asmundr were going to go last since they were the heaviest members of the group. They didn’t want to risk snapping the rope before everyone else got down first. I took the rope in hand and looked down the hole, remembering all the creepy crawlies along the wall and the sewage that was prevalent. I just rolled my eyes and kept telling myself that there were 900 gold coins at the end of the job. I held my breath and zipped down as fast and safely as I could.</p><p>Thankfully, I managed to stay clear of any bugs and disgusting grime on the walls on my way down. When I got to the bottom, I walked over to the other two and looked ahead of us while we waited for Asmundr and Cloth. It was hard to see as it was nearly pitch black, but the light from the rope illuminated the area somewhat enough to see slightly. Once we were all together in the pipes, we carefully proceeded onwards, following the map the best we could.</p><p>After traveling for a bit in the cramped confines of the corridor we were in, it suddenly began to open up until we were in a vast subterranean area. We checked the map and found that we were entering a part of Dorasharn, which was the old part of Sharn before it was built over. Apparently, we were roughly 57 levels below the current city which was kind of hard to believe considering we hadn’t traveled all that far down. We couldn’t see much in the low light conditions, but we could hear just fine.</p><p>In the distance ahead of us, we heard some skittering sounds coming from somewhere in the darkness. Ahead of us, there seemed to be the remains of… buildings? Underground? I found that very hard to believe, but I just shrugged it off. Anyway, there was stuff in the way that obscured our vision, so we all prepared ourselves for the worst. As the noise got closer, the source revealed itself to be a swarm of beetles. Fortunately, Vermundr took care of the threat for us and smashed all the bugs into the ground. Once the bugs were dead, I heard more noises ahead of us and alerted the others. A couple of giant rats joined the fray, but we easily took them out as well.</p><p>Once the area was quiet and secure, we continued to look around with our wits about us. There was no telling what else lurked down there. As we were walking through the area, we spotted what looked to be some old religious ruins. Perhaps it was a church at one point. The closer we got, we began to make out more details about the dilapidated structure, including some symbols related to Cloth’s patron deity, the Sovereign Host. Cloth wanted to check it out, so we followed him inside the ruined structure.</p><p>The inside was empty other than some old pews and refuse on the floor. It was getting late and we were all getting pretty tired. It had been a long day. Since the church was still sacred, it gave off a protective aura which kept evil at bay. Because of that, we decided to hold up there for the night as I offered some added protection. We found some broken pews and used it to barricade the door just in case something unaffected by the barrier found us. Once the church was secured, we all found a place to rest. I found myself a pew that was still intact and laid down on that, using my duster as a pillow. I undid my belt and took off my pack, placing it all off to the side beside me. Once I was situated on the pew, I covered my eyes with my hat and kept a pistol close by in case we were attacked in the middle of the night.</p><p> </p><p>#</p><p> </p><p>The next morning, or what we assumed was morning since we were underground and couldn’t see outside, we woke up to Cloth cooking two rats over an open flame. Since he was a warforged, he didn’t need to sleep per se and stood watch while the rest of us slept. He then wanted to surprise us with breakfast, but I didn’t think he understood what edible food was exactly. The rats were mangy and probably disease-ridden. Not to mention that they were burnt to a crisp and completely black. It went without saying that I didn’t partake in any of that. I had rations that I munched on instead of whatever Cloth was offering everyone.</p><p>After we all had a bite to eat, we consulted the map and looked to where we needed to go next. The map had a location next to us marked, indicating that was where the item was supposedly located. We undid the makeshift barricade in front of the door and headed back outside, or rather, the expansive underground area. Following the map’s directions, we approached another derelict building. The door was sealed shut and was made of adamantine. It wouldn’t budge despite our best efforts and the door looked to be the only way inside from the ground. As the others were trying to open the door, we heard some shuffling coming from the other side of the door. We couldn’t discern what was making the footstep sounds, so we kept as quiet as we could to not alert them. While we were walking over to the building, we noticed that part of the roof had collapsed in, revealing a possible way inside. The trouble was that we had to somehow climb up to the top to access it.</p><p>We stood around as we tried to figure out how to get up to the roof. I’m not sure who got up there first, but someone managed to find a way up then helped the others up as well. Once we were all on the roof, we looked down the hole and into the interior of the one-story building. We saw two warforged dogs walking around down below, presumably guarding whatever item Lady Elaydren wanted us to retrieve. It looked like we were in the right place, so we tried to figure out what to do about the sentries. They hadn’t spotted us yet, so Lost and Cloth dropped down into the breach to confront them directly. Since Cloth was a warforged, he wanted to see if he would communicate with the dogs.</p><p>When they dropped into the building, the dogs immediately spotted them and attacked. At first, they only focused on Lost since he wasn’t a warforged, but when Cloth started to attack them to defend Lost, they turned on him as well. The rest of us provided support from on top of the roof and helped them defeat them. After the dogs were taken care of, I remained on the roof with Layla and Asmundr while Cloth and Lost searched around the room down below.</p><p>As they were looking around, they spotted an old forge in the back of the building. It was off and didn’t seem to function. Elsewhere, they found a third warforged dog under some rumble, seemingly crushed by it a long time ago. Cloth and Lost continued to look around then focused their attention on the forge.</p><p>Upon closer inspection, they noticed some sort of panel with three holes in it. Since they hadn’t found anything that resembled the item Lady Elaydren wanted, they figured it was perhaps behind the locked panel in the forge. They got a closer look on the panel and noticed the holes had a distinctive shape, almost as if meant for a key. They then remembered the protrusions that popped out of the warforged dogs’ heads after they had defeated them. They went over to the dogs and removed the keys from their heads, bringing them back over to the forge. Taking the keys in hand, they pushed them into place and found that one was still missing. They then remembered the dog crushed by the rubble and went over to it, removing the key from its head. After retrieving the missing piece, they pushed it into the panel then heard a click from behind the forge.</p><p>They were expecting the panel in the front to open, but instead there was apparently another one in the back. They went over and found a secret compartment behind the forge containing some loot and an item wrapped in some cloth. They took the item and uncovered it, revealing a 7-point star made out of adamantine. That was it- the item Lady Elaydren had hired us to find and retrieve. They secured the item then continued looking around to make sure they didn’t miss anything. Cloth went over to the warforged dogs and began to salvage some metal from the bodies. For what purpose, I wasn’t exactly sure. Maybe he wanted to sell them or something.</p><p>Once Cloth had his fill of taking scraps of metal from the defeated warforged dogs, Asmundr and I let down a rope and began to pull him and Lost back onto the roof. Lost was the first to get pulled up since he was lighter. Just as we managed to get him back on the roof, he was hit by a crossbow bolt out of nowhere. He managed to keep from falling off the roof, but now he had a bolt in him. I ducked my head down and looked to where the arrow seemed to come from.</p><p>Those of us on the roof looked back towards the entrance to the area and saw a lone warforged in the distance. It was hard to hear what he was saying, but he said his name was Saber and he was a member of the Lord of Blades. He came for the adamantine star and was going to take it from us by force if we didn’t surrender it over to him.</p><p>Figuring that Saber wasn’t going to leave us alone without a fight, we all prepared for battle. After Lost recovered from being shot by a bolt, he jumped down from on top of the roof and decided to take the enemy on directly. He began sprinting right at him even though Saber had the high ground and was wielding a crossbow.</p><p>Seeing as how Saber had a range advantage over me, I drew a gun and hid behind Vermundr. Layla wasn’t as fortune and caught a bolt to the torso while she was out in the open. She was severely injured and fell off the roof into the interior of the building we were on. Fortunately, Cloth caught her from down below and tended to her wounds to stabilize her. Meanwhile, I took aim at Saber with a single revolver, but he was still a bit too far away to hit. Asmundr and Vermundr decided to back up Lost and jumped down to aid him. I remained up on the roof and by then, Cloth had decided to find his own way up and out of the building.</p><p>For the duration of the battle, I remained on the roof and kept a low to make myself a harder target to hit. As luck would have it, Saber was too busy dealing with everyone else that he didn’t even bother with me. I kept an eye on Layla down below within the structure to make sure she was still doing all right. After a few brief moments, the others had defeated Saber and had him restrained. They secured him using some rope then went about finishing whatever they were doing before he showed up.</p><p>            Cloth came back over to the building and climbed up the side to get some things from inside. The door still wouldn’t budge, even from the inside, so they had to resort to using rope still. Cloth uncovered the warforged dog that was crushed by rubble and recovered the body. We hauled it up and managed to get it out of the building; the others did all the heavy lifting while I just supported however I could. Cloth wanted to tinker with it or something and maybe even revive it as a companion. Layla received some healing and managed to climb out on her own, joining me on the roof.</p><p>Once we were all ready, we retraced our steps and made our way back up topside. Cloth and Asmundr kept an eye on Saber, who was still restrained, to make sure he didn’t try and escape. He was our prisoner and we were going to hand him over to the authorities. Perhaps there was even a reward for bringing him in? One could hope.</p><p>While we were walking back through the goblin shanty town, a peculiar rat crossed our paths. It had a message for us that was delivered on behalf of Chandra Thane, thanking us for helping her back on the bridge yesterday. She must’ve been the woman with the aberrant dragonmark that the others helped. The message also mentioned that if we needed anything, she’d offer aid somehow. It was rather cryptic, so I didn’t exactly remember the wording.</p><p>Before heading to the city watch station to hand over Saber, we decided to stop by the Broken Anvil first. We wanted to let Lady Elaydren know we accomplished her mission and give her the schema before we got attacked again. Not wanting to let Saber near our benefactor, Asmundr and Vermundr elected to stay hidden outside in an alleyway with our captive, allowing the rest of us to head inside the tavern.</p><p>The tavern was scarcely populated with a few patrons inside along with the bartender. We looked around and found the same cloaked woman sitting at a table waiting for us. We approached her and sat down at her table. After talking for a bit, we informed Lady Elaydren that we managed to recover the item in question and handed it over to her. She was quite pleased with our success and paid us the rest of the contract fee, a cool 900 gold coins each. It had been a while since I had such a pay day, so I happily took my reward and safely stashed it away.</p><p>While we had her attention, we asked if she knew of a place that dealt in the buying of ancient artifacts. In the hidden compartment that we found the schema in, we also found a large amount of gold and silver coins, except they were ancient and didn’t match the currency we used today. We figured they were worth more than their face value since they were so old, but we didn’t exactly know how much. Lady Elaydren said she personally didn’t have any interest in them, but she did know someone at a local university that might. Her acquaintance was named Zofeek and he worked as a professor at Morgrave University, the one near where the group and I first met. Before we left, Lady Elaydren mentioned that if we were in need of work to drop by the House Sivis message center at Barman Tower. We thanked her for the help then headed back outside to meet up with Asmundr and Vermundr.</p><p>Heading into the alleyway across the street, we saw Vermundr just sitting on top of the captured warforged with Asmundr off to the side. We handed him his share of the gold then continued on our way up to the city watch station. When we arrived there, I decided to wait outside while the others dealt with Saber. I wasn’t exactly a fan of the authorities and didn’t want to talk to any of them. Asmundr also decided to remain outside, so we both stood off to the side and waited for the others to return.</p><p>After a bit of standing around, the rest of the group returned to us sans Saber. They handed Asmundr and I a pouch of 12 gold coins each, saying it was a reward from the city watch. Apparently, there was a standing bounty from the city for every Lord of Blades member killed or captured. Since we killed two and detained one since meeting each other, we got a reward for it. They even told me that they lied about taking out a fourth one to increase the payout, but I wasn’t going to tell anyone.</p><p>Cloth was still carrying around a bunch of the loot we got from the ruins, so we headed out to Morgrave University to hopefully unload it all. When we got closer, I recognized it as the same place that had the firearms exhibit I visited a few days ago. We went inside and asked around for a Professor Zofeek, saying we had some business that we liked to discuss with him. An attendant came over to help us and guided us to his office. After knocking and getting permission to enter, we headed in.</p><p>The professor was at his desk writing on some parchment when we arrived. We approached him and got right down to business. The others did all the talking while I just watched and made sure I got my cut of the earnings. They started with the ancient coins and managed to negotiate with the professor, getting him to buy the coins at 2.75 times their face value. That meant that one ancient gold coin was worth 2.75 current ones, which was a good deal. After that, Cloth managed to persuade the professor to buy a bunch of other random odds and ends that we scavenged from the ruins. The items ranged from armor to weapons, which were rather mundane, but Cloth spun it so that the professor could open up a whole new Dorasharn exhibit in his name. In all, including the weapons, armor, and coins, we managed to get 275 gold coins, 275 silver coins, and a bank voucher for an additional 800 gold coins. I was nearly salivating at the amount of gold that I just couldn’t wait until we cashed in that voucher at the bank. After finishing with the sale of loot from Dorasharn, we left the university to head to the Kundarak Bank of Sharn.</p><p>Upon arriving at the bank, we all went inside and cashed in the voucher, getting a large sum of gold coins. While we were there, we divvied up the money and received 255 gold coins and 55 silver coins each. Later on in the day, we received additional monies from another sale Cloth did on his own. After getting our share of the profits, we all went our separate ways until the next day. We planned to continue on with the other mission we received, the one that our guild handler, Lhara, first gave us after the initiation. We planned to meet at an elevator that went down to the Cogs in the morning.</p><p>Since I had the rest of the day to myself, I decided to take care of a few errands and then just relax. I went to the market and picked up some supplies to include more rope, rations, a signal whistle, some paper, an ink pen, and a couple more torches. I also stopped by the store that sold ammunition, so I replenished my supply while I had the chance. I checked the rounds that they sold and they seemed to be made adequately. I bought enough to fill all the empty slots on my belt loops and an additional backup supply that I kept in my backpack, just in case.</p><p>After I was done with the chores, it was finally time to relax and enjoy life a little. Having spent all the time in the bowels of Sharn, I needed to find a place to wash up and clean myself. I reeked and had sewage and who knew what else all over my boots and pants. I walked around and found a nice bathhouse to get freshened up at. It cost a bit much to get in just for a bathhouse, but it was well worth it in the end.</p><p>Thankfully, the place was segregated by gender, so I made my way through the women’s side. Being a high-class bathhouse, the establishment had people there that would wash my clothes while I took a bath. That was mighty generous, but on account of how much it cost, I expected nothing less. After I disrobed, I handed over my clothes to an attendant and stashed everything else in a basket to be securely watched over. My body ached and I was really yearning to get myself all clean and proper. Upon reaching the main bath, I was treated to a face full of steam and a warm atmosphere. It wasn’t crowded, so I had an easy time finding a spot off to the side where I could bathe in peace.</p><p>There was an area away from the main pool that had spouts attached to a wall. When I pulled a lever, a flow of warm, clean bath water came from them. I didn’t exactly trust the main communal bath area with the large pool of water, so I went over and found a vacant spot underneath a spout. I pulled on the lever and let the water flow, testing the water with my hand to make sure the temperature was perfect before stepping underneath it. As the water poured forth from the wall, I let out a content sigh as I closed my eyes, focusing on the sensation of the water running down my body. I just stood there and did nothing which was a very relaxing feeling. Not wanting to get waterlogged, I went about cleaning my body before it got any later. After I was done, I got dried off using a complimentary towel and retrieved my belongings.</p><p>When I was done bathing, my clothes were waiting for me and had been cleaned thoroughly by the staff. They no longer reeked of sewage and the grime was gone. Almost looked as good as new, besides all the wear and tear. I got dressed and made sure I had everything before taking my leave.</p><p>I was feeling rather good after leaving the bathhouse, but I was still yearning for something more. My body was achy but not as achy as before the bath at least. There was still plenty of light left in the day, so I decided to get myself a good deep-tissue massage somewhere. That was exactly what my body needed after all that trudging around underground. After asking some locals, I found a luxury massage parlor that offered precisely what I was looking for. The massage was perfect and I nearly fell asleep on the massage table.</p><p>As it began to get late, I grabbed some food to eat before finding a hotel to rest at. The place I ended up choosing was a little nicer than the last which was good. I was beat and needed a good night’s rest. Sleeping on an old, wooden pew wasn’t exactly the best night’s rest. Before heading to bed, I took out my guns and gave them a good cleaning along with some basic maintenance. I put some rounds through them while I was down in Dorasharn, so they needed some quick maintenance before the next encounter. Once all my work was done, I plopped down on the bed and rested my weary head.</p>
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<a name="section0007"><h2>7. The Clifftop Adventurers Guild</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>When I woke up the next morning, I was feeling a lot better than before. I was fresh and clean, well-rested, and swimming in coin. The contract fee from the last job plus all the money we got from selling all that loot more than covered my expenses for the next few weeks. To top it all off, we had another job lined up for us within the city that surely would pay out fairly. It was our first official job for the guild, so we didn’t want to mess it up.</p><p>I made my way through the streets and arrived at the designated meeting spot by the elevator. While I was waiting for the others, I noticed a large group of people near where I was standing that were protesting something. I didn’t catch what they were shouting about nor did I care. I wasn’t big on politics or the notion of civic duty, at least not since the Mourning.</p><p>I continued to wait around and when we were all together, we hopped on the elevator and began descending down to beneath Sharn. It was operated by an old man pulling on a rope, as if the elevator worked on a manual pulley system or something. It was so antiquated, but I didn’t say anything about it. Good for him for keeping up a job like that. Though, there was one odd thing about the whole ordeal. He told us not to look into the black void or abyss or something while we traveled downwards. So, I did as he had instructed and kept my focus on the others in the group. During the ride, Layla told us that some of the warforged who worked in the Cogs were on strike, so we should expect more protests once we got down there.</p><p>Once the gate to the lift opened, we were met with the full extent of the heat and smoke that the Cogs was known for. On the way down, we slowly began experiencing it all the closer we got to the bottom, but now that we were at the end, it all hit me full force. My eyes were tearing up and it was slightly hard to breathe. I raised my bandana over my nose and mouth which helped make the heat and smoke somewhat tolerable. Like we had guessed, there were more warforged around on strike, but their plight wasn’t our concern. At least, it wasn’t mine, but Cloth took it upon himself to find out more from his brethren.</p><p>Meanwhile, the rest of us went to meet with the representative that Lhara told us about. She was a gnome named Treska and she was supposed to handle everything for us, or at least, that was how it was supposed to go. When we met up with her, she said there were some complications with the Burning Idol that we were supposed to retrieve for Lhara and the guild. Production of the idol had stalled due to the warforged being on strike. She explained that because of the strike, there weren’t enough workers to maintain the forge, so it went out. The warforged on strike wanted better pay and treatment from their company’s management. There were several companies located in the Cogs, but the one that we were tasked to get the Burning Idol from just happened to be on strike. She said that if we somehow got the strike to end and the warforged back to work, she could make the item for us.</p><p>Those of us that were with Treska exchanged uncertain looks then glanced over to Cloth. Apparently, he had made friends with the leader of the striking warforged and was helping rile them up. Seeing that he was already making progress, we decided to see if we could help the warforged and the company they worked for come to an agreement. Treska told us that if we could get more warforged involved with the strike, it could put pressure on the company to do something about it and hear them out. She mentioned that there was a bar named the Red Hammer that a large number of warforged workers usually hung out at. If we could get them rallied with Cloth and the leader of the strike, it could speed things up. Layla wanted to give it a shot, so she followed after Treska towards the bar. Lost and I followed them while Asmundr stayed with Cloth to make sure he didn’t get into any trouble.</p><p>The bar was rather unremarkable and there were several warforged inside when we arrived. We looked around and gauged the crowd before we started talking. They didn’t seem to be concerned with the strike and were just going about their normal day. Layla then had a sudden spurt of spontaneity and got up on the bar counter top, directing all the bar patrons’ attention on her. Lost and I just stood off to the side and watched with curiosity, wondering what she was going to do or say.</p><p>While Layla was atop the bar, she gave a rousing speech to the warforged there and managed to get them to join their fellow warforged brethren in the strike. Inspired by Layla’s words, the workers all got up and left the bar, heading out to join the strike by the foundry administration offices. Layla then hopped down from the bar and looked to us with a satisfied look. Treska was amazed and said we should head back to see how things were going with Cloth and the other strikers.</p><p>The four of us made our way back to the company offices and caught a glimpse of Cloth heading off somewhere. Lost, Layla, and I hurried over to him and asked where he was going so suddenly. He said he found another place where we could potentially get more warforged to aid in the strike. The catch was that he had to fight in a cage match to do it. We were confused as to what he meant, so he explained himself further.</p><p>While Cloth was mingling with the strikers, he noticed one warforged who was looking anxious and constantly looking at a clock on the wall. When he approached her and asked what was going on, she said that she had a fight that she needed to attend, but she also didn’t want to leave the strike. On her free time, she fought at a nearby arena for some extra coin and happened to be a well-known fighter there, going by the alias Silver Kiss. She even had a mask that she wore during her fights to add to her persona. She figured that maybe Cloth could fight in her stead and maybe try to rally the people there to help in the strike.</p><p>Being the adventurous person that Cloth was, he happily accepted the offer and took the mask, despite it being meant for the smaller, feminine warforged. When he put it on, it hardly fit and just sat lopsided on his head. He was more masculine and much larger than the warforged who originally wore the mask. After explaining everything to us, he continued on and we followed after him. Treska stayed behind to attend to her duties.</p><p>The fighting arena wasn’t far and when we got there, Cloth masqueraded as the Silver Kiss to fight on her behalf. He talked with the staff there and asked them to point him to the ring. The staff was confused but didn’t question his obvious change in appearance from the usual Silver Kiss. They let him pass into the arena while the rest of us found seats in the spectator stands.</p><p> As Cloth took his place in the center of the arena, I happened to notice some workers taking bets on who would win the upcoming fight. Since it was Cloth and not the real Silver Kiss out there, I decided to place a bet on Cloth since I knew he was a capable fighter. Layla joined me and we each bet one gold coin on Cloth to win. After placing our bets, we returned to our seats in the stands and waited for the fight to start. The crowd was somewhat confused as to the Silver Kiss’ drastic change in appearance, but they didn’t care; all they wanted to see was a fight.</p><p>I can’t remember who or what Cloth fought, but of course he won which netted Layla and me an extra gold coin each. In hindsight, I should’ve bet a lot more because of course Cloth was going to win. While he was still in the ring and had everyone’s attention, Cloth delivered a motivational speech while still posing as the Silver Kiss, even though he clearly wasn’t her. He swayed the crowd of spectators to join the strike and support their fellow co-workers for better compensation from their employers. Layla and I feigned being part of the crowd and showed our support to rile up the others into joining in. The ruse worked and everyone began leaving to join the other strikers. After Layla and I collected our meager winnings, we met up with Cloth and headed back as well. For some reason, he was still wearing the Silver Kiss mask while we walked together.</p><p>When we all arrived back at the foundry offices, there were a lot more people there participating in the strike than before. The noise and commotion finally drew out the manager of the company, a man named Drummond, to confront the strikers. Cloth stood with the leader of the group and they voiced their grievances in a respectable manner. I just stood off to the side with Lost, Asmundr, and Layla since Cloth seemed to have everything under control. After some negotiations, Drummond seemed to come to an agreement with the leader of the strike, offering an increase in pay and better working conditions.</p><p>Treska congratulated us on a job well done, thanking us for resolving the strike peacefully and without any trouble. Cloth joined us and Treska went on to say that since the strike was over, the workers would get back to work. Once everything was up and running, she could create the Burning Idol for us. It was about time. I had enough of the Cogs and wanted to get out of there as soon as possible. Even though I used to be a smoker, constant exposure to fumes and all that secondhand smoke was killing me.</p><p>Treska had a warforged named Stoke accompany her as she led us over to a forge. Unfortunately, the forge had died out due to being neglected and had to be reignited. The process to reignite the forge was going to be somewhat dangerous, so she gave us ample forewarning before she began. She told us that we needed to protect her as she used her magic to re-tame the fire elemental within the forge. I prepared myself for anything as did the others.</p><p>Once Treska began her process or whatever, the temperature around us began to get significantly warmer. I kept my distance from the actual forge as a fire elemental emerged from it, generating a lot of heat from its fiery form. Some of the others didn’t mind or care about the heat and moved closer to engage the fire elemental. I suppose it couldn’t be helped as some of them were melee fighters and had no means of fighting at range. In the end, we managed to successfully keep the fire elemental away from Treska as she corralled it back to the forge where it remained. Once the forge was lit, she and Stoke got to work on creating the Burning Idol.</p><p>In the meantime, Treska said she could send us on a little “side-quest” -I think that’s what she called it- while we waited. Since we had nothing else better to do, we asked her about what she had in mind. She said that there was a particular mushroom that grew in the surrounding area that she could use to make either a Potion of Fire Breathing or Potion of Fire Resistance. If we could get her one of the mushrooms, she could make either one of the potions for us. It seemed easy enough, so we agreed; if we were going to be stuck down there, we might as well be doing something productive.</p><p>Before we left, Treska explained a bit more about the mushroom we had to find. It wasn’t just some ordinary mushroom one could find in any old forest. No. It was a Fire Fungus and it was hot to the touch. That meant we had to douse it in water before we could even safely touch it or pick it up to move it. She recommended to find a bucket and get some water from the nearby oasis to pour on it. We couldn’t fully submerge the mushroom or else we’d kill it, rendering it useless for the purpose of making one of the potions she was offering.</p><p>While everyone was talking about the mushroom, I grabbed an empty bucket I found and looked for the nearby oasis that Treska had mentioned. I walked over and found a small pond of water, so I dunked the bucket in and filled it up. The mushroom was rather large according to Treska, so I wasn’t going to be the one to haul it back. Even though she was a gnome and everything probably seemed large to her, we took her word for it. Instead, I was going to be the one to carry the bucket of water to pour on it when the time came.</p><p>With the bucket of water in tow, we headed on out to get the mushroom for Treska. I followed the others and kept my eye out for a large mushroom-looking thing. Eventually, we found one and huddled around it to douse it in water. It was indeed very hot looking and I wouldn’t want to touch it even with my gloves on. I got my bucket of water ready and poured it on the mushroom, but it seemed to not be enough. Lost, Cloth, and Asmundr then pulled out their waterskins and poured more water on to the mushroom. Once it was no longer burning hot, Cloth picked it up to carry back. It was indeed very large, at least, as far as mushrooms were concerned. Even Cloth made it look like it was awkward to handle the thing.</p><p>After finally getting the mushroom under control, we headed back to where Treska was to give it to her. When we handed it over, she told us the Burning Idol still wasn’t ready. Stoke was still manning the forge as he continued to create the item and was close to finishing up. In the meantime, Treska took the mushroom and asked which potion we wanted her to make. I didn’t care which one, but Lost and Asmundr each had differing opinions.</p><p>They couldn’t come to an agreement on which potion to make, so they played a game where the victor got to choose which potion to make. Lost wanted a Potion of Fire Breathing while Asmundr wanted the Potion of Fire Resistance. I just rolled my eyes and watched them go at it; I think they played “Quartz, Parchment, Shears” to settle the disagreement. Lost ended up winning so Treska went about making his potion.</p><p>By the time Treska had finished making the potion, Stoke had also finished creating the Burning Idol. It was a lot bigger than I thought it’d be, so much so that two people had to carry the thing. Lost took the potion from Treska while Asmundr and Cloth carried the idol. Treska warned us that the Burning Idol was highly volatile and that we had to be extra careful while we transported it. The slightest bump could set it off or something; I can’t remember what it would do or what it was supposed to be even. We thanked Treska and Stoke for their hard work and began heading back to the elevator. On the way back, we came across a disturbance by the foundry offices.</p><p>There was a large creature talking with Drummond and he seemed to be apprehensive or something. The creature was tall and had two heads, wielding a club in one of its hands. Curious, we decided to head on over to see what was going on before leaving. It turned out that the creature was an Ettin and a member of some criminal gang organization called the Daask. The Ettin seemed a bit unruly, so Cloth and Lost moved ahead of the group to intervene. The Ettin said that Drummond owed her and her gang some money or whatnot, so basically, she was trying to extort him and his company which we couldn’t abide.</p><p>We did our best to persuade the Ettin to leave peacefully, saying that if she just left that there wouldn’t have to be any violence. We couldn’t tolerate criminal activity, especially if it involved an acquaintance of ours. Unfortunately, the Ettin chose the hard way and a fight ensued. Even though we knew she was a member of a larger organization and could have possible ramifications later on, we just had to act. In the end, we managed to subdue the Ettin and get her somewhat under control. Cloth and Vermundr restrained her while we tried to reason with her.</p><p>I had my pistol placed firmly against one of her heads as I repeatedly ordered her to surrender and cease hostilities. I told her fighting was useless and she could still leave with her life if she only gave up on the money. She was rather uncooperative and still a threat, so I looked to the others for the go-ahead to finish her off. After getting approval, I pulled the trigger and blew a hole in her head which killed her instantly. The other head let out a cry and died as well since it shared the body.</p><p>After the fighting was over, we talked with Drummond to see how he was doing. He said he was grateful, but when we asked for a reward, he was rather cold on the subject. We negotiated back and forth and ended up getting him to owe us a favor in return for saving his rear. Once everything was finally taken care of, we retrieved the Burning Idol once more and continued back to the elevator.</p><p>The same old man was still there, manning the elevator by his lonesome. I was surprised that he did that all day, pulling on the rope to ascend and descend from the Cogs. We all boarded and began the journey back upwards to the city above. While we were riding the elevator, Lost noticed a dead rat on the platform and casually knocked it off the side with his foot. When we got to the top, I tipped the old man two copper coins before departing.</p><p>As the daylight met our eyes once more, we saw crowds of people still protesting. We just ignored the rowdy protestors and made sure the Burning Idol was protected. We got clear of the crowds and made our way back to the guild to deliver the item. On our way, some discarded refuse dropped on us from above. It was like grease or oil but whatever it was, it was gross and disgusting. Things like that were a common hazard for those who lived in the lower levels of Sharn. The literal upper-class couldn’t be bothered to worry about where their waste ended up- just as long as it was out of sight and out of mind.</p><p>Eventually, we made it back to the guild looking rather dirty and beat, but at least we had completed our objective. We brought the Burning Idol to Lhara’s office and debriefed her about how the mission went. After explaining all the things we had to go through to get the mission done, she was surprised. She expected it to be a simple retrieval mission, so she gave us a little extra compensation for all the trouble we went through. In total, we each got 200 gold coins as a reward for bringing back the Burning Idol to her. After dealing with guild business, we all decided to celebrate after another job well done, but first, we needed to get cleaned up.</p><p>The party decided to hit up a bathhouse before we celebrated properly with some food and drink. Spending all day in the Cogs didn’t exactly leave us with a particularly likable scent. We quickly got washed and cleaned up then headed back to the Drunken Dragon tavern at the guild.</p><p>We all had drinks there and conversed amongst one another for a bit. After a while, Cloth and Asmundr left us to attend to personal matters, leaving just Layla, Lost, and I at the tavern. While we were enjoying ourselves, some members of the guild came over to talk to us. They were veteran members and had a little game in mind for us new members.</p><p>They said they wanted us to run the Gauntlet, an obstacle of sorts set up in the training area. We were in high spirits, so we happily obliged them. We followed them over to the training area to see what they had in store for us. They said all we had to do was get from one end of the area to the other without getting hit. There was a corridor with walls on either side that had holes in them. They told us that arrows were fired from within the walls at people running down the length of the corridor, but it was all safe and the arrows had bean-bag tips on them. They’d still hurt if one was hit, but at least it was non-lethal. The obstacle looked easy enough and fun even, so we all agreed to run it.</p><p>As Layla, Lost, and I took our positions at the starting line, patrons from the tavern and other guild members huddled around to see us have a go at the Gauntlet. Once the signal to begin was given, we started running for the other side. Even though I didn’t have peripheral vision on one side of my face due to my injured eye, I still managed to dodge all the arrows that were aimed at me. I gracefully made my way to the opposite side without even getting hit once. The others succeeded as well and once we were all on the other side without a single scratch on us, the crowd cheered approvingly.</p><p>The veteran members who first approached us about the challenge came over and congratulated on a good show. Since we had proven our mettle, they offered to train and share some of their knowledge and skills with us since they had deemed us capable. I didn’t expect to get anything out of it, but it would’ve been rude to decline, so we accepted their offer. For the next ten days or so, we visited the guild to train with the veterans. Most of it was rather routine, but to my surprise, I learned a thing or two.</p><p> </p><p>#</p><p> </p><p>During our training period and down time from work, I also took care of some personal errands and such. I replenished my ammunition and other supplies I used during the last couple jobs. I also decided to get an apartment since I figured I’d be in the city for a while.</p><p>Staying in a hotel would’ve added up in costs eventually, so something a bit more permanent was in order. I didn’t exactly need the most lavish accommodations, but I didn’t want to live in the slums either. After looking around, I found a suitable place to live in a decent district of the city. It was a bit pricy, but Layla was also looking for a place to stay, so I decided to split the costs with her and share an apartment.</p><p>The place I had found was an apartment complete with two bedrooms, a living area, kitchen area, and balcony. Each bedroom had its own bathroom which was nice since I didn’t want to share that necessarily. The apartment cost 80 gold coins per month, so since I was sharing it with Layla, we split the cost with each of us only having to pay 40 gold coins. I didn’t know Layla that well but so far she seemed all right, at least, all right enough to live with. We set some basic ground rules like no going into each other’s rooms and such. Once we had toured the apartment, we signed the contract and paid our first month’s rent. After the apartment was ours, I took a few moments to inspect my room closer.</p><p>Of course, being a new tenant, the room was completely empty as was the rest of our apartment. The room I had was modestly sized and suited my needs just fine. I’d mostly be spending my time in my room, so I mostly focused on furnishing that first. Whatever Layla decided to do with the living and kitchen area was fine with me as long as it was kept clean. I quickly went over what I’d need in my head then headed out, dropping off some items from my backpack before leaving.</p><p>I headed into town and shopped around for some basic furniture. The priority was finding a bed before the end of the day; I didn’t feel like sleeping on the floor that night. I looked around and found a modest furniture store in the shopping district. I went in and looked around, keeping an eye out for mattresses and bedframes. The pieces there were adequate, so I ended up getting everything on my list at that shop. They even said they could get everything delivered to my apartment by the end of the day. I ended up getting a comfy mattress, bedframe, desk, desk chair, and wardrobe. The furniture was all made of sturdy, quality wood which was nice. I was just glad I didn’t have to move any of it myself. Once I had paid for everything, which cost 50 gold coins, I accompanied the movers back to my apartment and directed them where to take everything.</p><p>After the movers had arranged everything to my liking and left, I finally got to relax in my new room. Layla was around the apartment as well doing her own thing, so I let her be. In the meantime, I went about making the room more personal. I took all the stuff I didn’t want to carry with me anymore and put them away in their proper places around the room. Most of that took the rest of the day.</p><p>In the late afternoon, Layla and I got an invitation from Cloth to join him for a little dinner party at his place. He had gotten an apartment too and was having us all over. Since we had nothing else better to do, we accepted the offer and headed over there. I didn’t know what to expect, since it was a warforged hosting a dinner party, but I remained open-minded. At the very least, I could just hang out with my new companions.</p><p>It turned out that Cloth lived in a nice part of the city and had an apartment nicer than ours. When Layla and I got there, Lost and Asmundr were already there. I was quite surprised to see that the apartment was already fully furnished with food prepared on the table for us. Cloth had hired a caterer to set everything up for him just for the party. I was kind of glad he decided not to cook everything himself. I was getting hungry and I still didn’t trust Cloth’s cooking ability yet.</p><p>Once Layla and I got situated in, Cloth walked over and gave each of us a gift. He had prepared gifts for everyone and had personalized each one. I gratefully took the gift and looked it over in my hands. It was a small box wrapped in a blue and yellow ribbon. It was rather light in weight, so I had no idea what could be inside. Cloth insisted that I open it right there, so I obliged. I carefully undid the ribbon and set it aside; it was a nice ribbon, so I didn’t want to ruin it. Once I lifted the lid, I saw three stone spheres resting on a bed of cloth inside the box. Each sphere had a symbol on it, a sort of circle with a longsword going through it. Cloth explained they were blessed and figured I could use them as ammunition for my weapons. I gave him a wane smile and explained I couldn’t use them in their current form, but after some modifications, I could make use of them. I thanked him for the kind gesture and put the lid back on, placing the box and ribbon into my bag afterwards.</p><p>After the gifts were all handed out, we went on to enjoy the delicious looking dinner Cloth –or rather his caterer- had prepared for us. I happily ate my fill and also had my fair share of drink. After we were done eating, the others decided to have some friendly competition in the form of arm-wrestling. I abstained and preferred to watch rather than participate myself.</p><p>The first ones to face-off were Lost and Asmundr. I had thought the match was rather one-sided considering Asmundr’s size and it turned out I was right. Lost gave a good effort but in the end, he ended up losing to his opponent. If I thought the first match was lopsided, the second was even more so and for some reason, I ended up betting actual currency on it. Layla and Cloth were up next to arm-wrestle. Asmundr placed a bet on Cloth to win, putting five gold coins into the pot. I knew it was a bad bet, but I decided to support my new roommate anyway and matched his bet, putting in five gold coins of my own. I ended up losing, of course. At first, Layla seemed to hold her own but Cloth then put in a bit more effort and easily defeated her. I didn’t mind losing since it was all in good fun and it was a relatively small amount.</p><p>The party lasted only a bit longer after the arm-wrestling matches. After we had our fill of merriment, we all left to go home to get some rest. Layla and I headed back to our apartment and turned in for the night. It was nice having a bed of my own to sleep on and I quickly drifted off to a nice slumber.</p>
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<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Airship Down</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>When I woke up the next morning, I met up with the group at the Clifftop Adventurers Guild after getting ready. We wanted to take another job, so we met with Lhara at the Drunken Dragon to see if she had another one ready for us. We all sat down at a table there and started talking about business.</p><p>Lhara said that she had a special job available if we wanted it, even offering to pay a portion of the reward for the mission upfront. It was a job for the provost of the guild and he specifically requested our group to carry it out. Lhara said that the provost had a particular magical item, something called the Sunrise Sapphire, which needed to be charged at a manifest zone, or something. I really wasn’t paying all that much attention to the details. It dealt with magic and the arcane which I didn’t have too much knowledge on. Besides, I was sure at least someone else in the party was fully listening and had taken notes on it. Anyway, she was willing to pay each of us 300gp upfront and another 300gp after the job’s completion. In addition to that, she gave each of us two Potions of Cure Light Wounds and a Featherfall Token to aid us in our endeavors.</p><p>While we were at the guild, we asked if Lhara had anything else for us to take care of. Before she left, Lhara reached into her satchel and gave us a small stack of envelopes, each of them containing a job someone had commissioned the guild to carry out. We took the envelopes and opened them up to see if there was anything worth taking.</p><p>One of the jobs stood out to us and we gave it a closer look. It was hastily scrawled and there weren’t too many details on the piece of parchment. Apparently, an airship went missing in the mountains of Aundair and the company it belonged to wanted someone to investigate it. They suspected that the airship crashed or was shot down but weren’t exactly sure. It was a time-sensitive issue as the airship was carrying sensitive documents that the company wanted recovered as soon as possible. The company didn’t want parties of ill repute to get their hands on it, so time was of the essence. Recovery of any surviving crew was optional, but the main objective was to recover the contents of the safe that was onboard that ship. The job offer didn’t mention anything in the form of compensation, but the others thought the job was interesting enough anyway. The message ended by saying that there was a company representative in Dig’s End that was acting as a point-of-contact.</p><p>They figured since this was a time-sensitive matter, they wanted to tackle this job first before doing the one Lhara first gave us. I was a bit hesitant about putting our employer’s mission to the side once more, but there were lives at stake if any of the crew had survived the crash. With that rationale, I went along with the group’s desire to investigate the crashed airship. Since this job wasn’t sponsored by the guild, we had to figure out our own way of getting to the mission area. The quickest and most convenient way of traveling all the way up to Aundair was via lightning-rail, so we decided to meet up at the rail station after we all took care of some business.</p><p>Since we were all in agreement, we left the tavern to prepare for the mission before meeting up once more to depart the city. Someone in the group wanted to find a map of the area we were going to and headed off to a cartography shop. I was curious, so I followed them there, keeping an eye out for anything I might need. When we found a suitable shop, I made my way in and perused the merchandise available. There wasn’t much I found useful or interesting so I left, heading off on my own to take care of a few things.</p><p>I first made sure I had all the necessities that I might need for the mission, things like ammunition, food, water, and other supplies. After that, I decided to fashion Cloth’s gift into something I could actually use. I went back to my go-to shop for ammunition and picked up three paper cartridges. I took them home to the apartment and began cautiously taking them apart. I removed the normal ball bearings and added in Cloth’s stones to each cartridge. Once the projectiles had been replaced, a carefully sealed them back up and placed them in my utility pouch. I didn’t want to use them on just anyone and intended to save them for a dire situation.</p><p>When the time came, I left the apartment with my gear and headed to the rendezvous point. To get close to where the downed airship was, we had to take a lightning-rail into a different country. The tickets were a bit pricey, but there was no other alternative besides the caravans, but they were too slow and we couldn’t afford to take our time. We each got a ticket and it cost us 124gp each. The trip was going to take roughly a day, so we found a spot to settle down in.</p><p>The tickets we had were for basic accommodations, so we were stuck sitting in a car with rows of cramped seats. After leaving the station, Cloth and Asmundr devised a plan to recuperate some of the gold we spent on the lightning-rail tickets. They planned on putting on a “magic” show of sorts, using their spells to do acts and tricks to wow the crowd and hopefully entice them into donating some money. At least, that was what they planned to do. Once they had their routine prearranged, they recruited Layla and me to be part of the crowd and act as planted participants. When everything was set, we all headed to where the majority of the passengers were at the moment – the dining car.</p><p>Upon entering the dining car, we found it hustling and bustling with passengers. There were benches around as well as some tables, not leaving much empty room. Cloth and Asmundr looked around and found a suitable spot to set up. Meanwhile, Layla and I mingled with the crowd, pretending not to know Cloth and Asmundr.</p><p>When everything was set, the show began and they started off by getting everyone’s attention, however, their size and appearance somewhat intimidated the crowd. To put everyone at ease, Cloth and Asmundr started off light with some basic spells. Layla and I clapped every now and then to start up the crowd’s enthusiasm. Things continued well enough and they began to win the crowd over with their antics. By the end, they had the crowd applauding on their own and had captivated mostly everyone there. After the show, Cloth and Asmundr stayed behind to socialize with the other passengers and collect donations. They ended up getting enough to where we each got 60gp. It was a lot more than I thought they’d get and it helped cushion the price of the tickets. When it got late, I settled down in my seat near the others and got some rest.</p><p> </p><p>#</p><p> </p><p>The next day, we arrived in a train station in a small settlement called Dig’s End within Aundair. After we departed from the lightning-rail, we looked around and decided to head to the local tavern to get some information. Perhaps the point-of-contact the job notice had mentioned was there. When we entered the tavern, we saw a curious-looking doormat on the ground in the entryway. As the first person in our group walked on it, it magically cleaned their footwear, leaving it nearly spotless and clean. I supposed it was fitting since Aundair was known for being heavily influenced by magic. As I walked along it, I stomped my feet in order to get my boots clean, not knowing how the mat worked. The others gave me an odd look as I walked fully across it.</p><p>Inside the tavern, we looked around and found an individual sitting at a table by himself. He seemed out of place, so we casually made our way over to him. I can’t remember who started things off, but we began talking with the man and he introduced himself as Geoffrey the Pale, a supposed war hero from the war. He also said he was the company man originally tasked with recovering the documents from the downed airship. Cloth and I had never heard of him and just played along, suspicious of his claims and figuring him to just be a phony. Cloth apparently used to be part of the Cyran military as well, working with a unit that conducted raids behind enemy lines. I kept my military background a secret though, but it was nice to find another veteran from Cyre. While we were all seated around his table, Geoffrey decided to make a deal with us.</p><p>Since Geoffrey wasn’t sure exactly where the ship was, he was going to pay us 4,000gp to find the ship and retrieve the documents for him. The party and I talked it over and agreed that we didn’t quite trust him. After some negotiations, we got Geoffrey to pay us a whopping 10,000gp for the job which turned out to be what the company was paying him. Cloth wrote up the contract outlining the details and Geoffrey agreed to pay us a quarter of the amount upfront. That meant we each got 500gp right there and then and another 1500gp after the job was done. Geoffrey said he’d lead us to roughly where the ship was and that was it. We told him to give us a day while we rested at the inn for the night. We each got a room and went to bed after taking care of everything we needed to do that day.</p><p> </p><p>#</p><p> </p><p>The next day, we all met up at the tavern and had some breakfast. Once we were ready, Geoffrey led the way towards the mountains nearby. We began walking along an ascending path as the terrain became more rocky and vertical. Eventually, we got to a point where Geoffrey hadn’t ventured and he decided to part ways with us, saying he’d be waiting back at the tavern for us when we were done. We didn’t pay him any mind and continued onward, hoping any surviving crew were still alive and that the documents were still there.</p><p>Continuing on, I happened to spot something above us up ahead. It looked to be some sort of ballistae and there were more than one, so we took cover and stealthily continued forward to avoid being shot at. We figured that was what probably took down the airship. Luckily, they were unmanned with no signs of the crew anywhere. We decided to destroy the ballistae before moving on to prevent them from being a threat later on. We didn’t want them shooting down any other innocent airships that happened to venture too close. Around the ballistae, I also happened to spot sets of small tracks and determined they were goblinoid in nature. We remained alert for hostiles and followed the tracks as we continued on, hoping the goblins hadn’t gotten to the downed airship yet.</p><p>The path and tracks we were following led to a cave that went further into the mountain. We readied ourselves for anything and proceeded onwards. We tried our best to navigate the caves, but we were quickly losing our sense of direction. To speed up the process, Cloth summoned a dog to help us track the goblins which hopefully also led to the crash site. Almost immediately after being summoned, the dog ran off as it began to track something along the ground.</p><p>As the dog sped off, Cloth quickly ran after it before it got too far away. Seeing him run off, Layla and I followed suit while Lost and Asmundr were slow to follow. We ran through the cave, throwing caution to the wind as the dog kept on the trail. We were getting close; I could feel it.</p><p>Soon enough, we found ourselves back outside on a cliff. We appeared to be in a chasm within the mountains and right in the middle of it was the crashed airship. The ship was lucky enough to find this place to crash land instead of on the mountain side or something. From where we were standing, the ship looked to be in pretty bad shape and we were sure it didn’t get any better the closer we got.</p><p>Seeing the downed ship in front of him, Cloth acted hastily and leapt from the precipice we were on, using the Token of Featherfall he had been given by Lhara to be used for another mission. He slowly descended and arrived on the ground around 30 or so feet below us. The rest of us didn’t feel like using the tokens that were meant for the other mission, so we tried to find another way down.</p><p>As soon as Cloth landed, he heard a sound off to the side. He looked over and saw a man hiding behind some rocks. He was motioning Cloth over while trying to shout in a whisper. Before Cloth and the rest of us could tell what was going on, we were ambushed by a large enemy force. There were archers above on two separate cliffs and another group of hostiles on another cliff across from us. We were caught out in the open, so we had to find cover fast.</p><p>The ensuing battle was rough as the archers greatly out ranged my guns. I was able to fire back, but my accuracy was severely hindered at those ranges. I mostly left the ranged combat up to Layla since she had a bow. Partway through the battle, I noticed that the downed ship had a ballista at the bow. It still seemed functional, so I made my way over to it to try and give the others some backup. Cloth seemed to have a similar idea because he arrived there about the same time I did. We climbed aboard the ship and manned the ballista together. It was rough, but we seemed to manage. He did the heavy lifting and reloaded the heavy bolts while I took aim and fired the weapon. It worked out pretty well considering none of us had used one before.</p><p>Eventually, we managed to take out the enemy force which consisted of half-orcs and these weird, small two-mouthed creatures. Layla, Cloth, and I managed to take out the archers while Lost, Asmundr, and Vermundr took out the ground forces. Layla was severely wounded during the battle, but Asmundr was fortunately there to aid her.</p><p>Once everything was safe, the man from earlier that was hiding behind the rocks came out to introduce himself. He said he was the captain of the ship and the only survivor, considering he was the only crew member. While we talked with him, he mentioned that he could possibly repair the ship and get it back into a flying order. We were skeptical about his capabilities, but he told us it was the only way of getting the documents safely out of there. We asked him why we couldn’t just carry them out of there and he said it was because they were in a safe. We tried to push the land route further, but he insisted on taking to the air since he didn’t want to leave his ship behind. We relented and asked how long it’d take to fix his ship, or at least, get it into a flying state. He told us that it could take around 15 minutes or so, but that was a rough estimate.</p><p>That didn’t sound too bad, so in the meantime, the others went about exploring the rest of the cave system while I remained behind to guard the captain and the ship. After the others left, the captain went to work and surveyed his ship to take note of the extent of the damage. I meandered about and first checked on the safe to make sure the documents were still there. The safe was still in one piece and locked up tight, so I assumed everything was still okay. While the captain worked, I chatted with him a bit as I walked around the ship, keeping an eye out for any more enemies.</p><p>While I was outside, I happened to spot a bit of red in the water coming over the waterfall to the left of the ship. I turned my attention to it then saw what looked to be a body falling over the edge. I couldn’t see who it was exactly, so I rushed over to the edge of the ship, peering into the pool of water below. I couldn’t see clearly as the blood was obscuring the water’s surface. I told the captain to watch out for hostiles as I hurried to get to the water’s edge down below. I just hoped it wasn’t one of the others.</p><p>When I got to the edge of the pool, I tried to see if there was a body anywhere. Suddenly, something emerged from the water and I could immediately tell it wasn’t one of the others. In fact, I couldn’t tell what it was, so I quickly drew a gun. It had to be hostile and the others were probably fighting more of them up above. I told the creature in front of me to back off, but it just kept coming towards me. Just as I cocked back the hammer on the gun I was holding, it lashed out with its tentacles once it reached the shore. I panicked and fired off a couple of shots which missed their mark. He got in a good hit on me and seemed to have the upper hand.</p><p>Up above on top of the waterfall, Lost looked down to see me engaged with the strange creature down below. Seeing that I was in trouble, he took it upon himself to come to my aid. He plunged himself into the water and went over the edge of the waterfall, landing in the pool of water directly below. He then swam over to where we were and got the creature’s attention. Together, we managed to take down the tentacle creature which was relief.</p><p>After the creature was taken care of, Lost came over to me and embraced me in a sudden hug. The gesture caught me off guard and I asked him why the sudden hug. He said he was just relived to see me all right and alive. I kindly thanked him for helping out and awkwardly patted him on the back.</p><p>Elsewhere in the cave, the other members of the group had secured the area above the falls and begun gathering loot. While things were calm, I took a Potion of Cure Light Wounds to heal myself up after all the fighting. A little later on, the others returned to the ship with everything they had looted from the enemies they encountered. We took a few moments to divvy out the loot; I got 12pp, 53gp, and a really nice masterwork dagger. It wasn’t as cool or interesting as the others in my collection, but I had to start somewhere once more.</p><p>Once that was taken care of, the others decided to finish going through the caves while the captain finished up repairs. I elected to stay behind again to guard the ship and help the captain however I could. The damage to the ship was a bit worse than the captain had originally thought, so it was going to take a bit more time to finish repairs.</p><p>A bit of time passed without anything happening. I remained on guard duty and talked with the captain as he worked. Eventually, the captain notified me that he had done everything he could and was ready to start the ship back up. I braced myself and watched as he used his dragonmark to awaken the elemental and ship once more. The ship shook and slowly came back to life as it began to right itself and hover in the air. The captain had a look of relief and excitement on his face, exhaling as he headed over to the helm. While the captain inspected his ship to make sure everything was in working order, the others returned yet again.</p><p>The rest of the group had encountered more threats while exploring the last sections of the caves. They fought and wiped them out after some tough combat. The enemies seemed to belong to the first group of enemies we faced and included their leader. During the fighting, they lost Vermundr, but fortunately he could be re-summoned at a later time. They had collected a bit more loot and didn’t say much more than that. Lost seemed to have a forlorn expression as he looked to me, but I didn’t push the subject.</p><p>While everyone was onboard the ship, Asmundr pulled out a blue orb that Cloth inquired about. He didn’t know what it was and gave it a closer look, saying he found it while they were in the caves. Suddenly, a black hole opened up below us and we all soon found ourselves falling into the dark abyss below…</p><p> </p><p>#</p><p> </p><p>It all happened so fast and I barely had any time to comprehend what had just happened. I guess the fall knocked me out as I slowly came to while lying on the ground. It was wet and there was roughly an inch of water all around us. As I looked around for the others, I couldn’t recognize my surroundings. There was nothing around us but blackness yet we were able to see without any apparent light sources around. My vision cleared after I rubbed my eyes and I began to make out other figures waking up as well, though, they looked… odd. There was a young boy, a young girl, and… a young moose-like person.</p><p>I called out to them but as I did, I recoiled, almost not recognizing my voice. It was much higher in pitch, almost as if I was a child again. I then looked down and to my surprise, my body was indeed that of a child’s.</p><p>I looked at the other people around me and the closer I looked, the more I began to recognize them. There was the captain, Layla, and Asmundr all standing there beside me and equally as confused. They were wearing the same clothes as before as was I, but all my belongings were gone… including my guns. I cursed to myself in my head and looked to the others once more. Then I realized we were missing two people- Cloth and Lost. Suddenly, a mini dragon appeared as it began flying in a circle around us. It didn’t seem hostile, so I ignored it for now as I took in my surroundings. There was light coming from somewhere, but I couldn’t see where. That was when I realized I could see out of both my eyes.</p><p>I almost couldn’t believe it, but then I closed one eye then the other, being able to fully see out of each eye. If only I had a mirror to look at myself and see if it looked normal or not. I guessed we were truly back in our younger bodies but for what reason, I had no idea.</p><p>As I approached the others, I noticed each of them had a necklace around their neck. I looked down and realized I had a matching one. As I gave it a closer look, it appeared to be a pendant of what looked like Cloth’s face. After giving it some thought, it made some sense as Cloth wouldn’t have had a younger self. He was created as an adult, per se, so we guessed that was the form chosen for him while we were in that odd place. Lost, however, was still MIA.</p><p>Just as we were all regaining our composure, a figure appeared before us. He was an old man in wizard garb and didn’t seem immediately hostile towards us. As we all huddled around each other and looked to him, he explained the dire situation we had found ourselves in. The wizard went on to tell us that he was imprisoned in the cursed orb. By touching the object, we had become imprisoned in there as well.</p><p>The wizard then produced a dagger and tossed it at our feet, telling us to do with it as we pleased. Asmundr immediately picked it up and charged at the wizard, trying to stab him with the weapon. The wizard was unimpressed and used some magic to push Asmundr away with ease. He then went on to say that he was in complete control of the world we were in. We were destined to suffer in it for all of eternity. He then snapped his fingers and we were all suddenly transported to a different place.</p><p>Instead of the black void we were previously in, we were standing out in the open seemingly outdoors. There was nothing of note around where we were and there was a heavy mist surrounding us. The more I looked around, the more I began to realize its familiarity. It reminded me so much of the Mournland that I nearly panicked. I couldn’t move, so I just crouched down and remained hunched over by the ground, not wanting to stand out amongst the group. The others asked what I was doing and I told them that I thought I saw something on the ground, which of course was a lie.</p><p>The memory of the ensuing journey and time in that odd place was a bit fuzzy. I remembered walking a lot and being lost most of the time. We never did find Lost or figure out where he was which was odd, but it couldn’t be helped at the time. There were points in time where all of us either heard or saw something that the others could not. I remember hearing the screams of a woman and seeing fire. Layla said she saw warfare and people fighting all around us. Asmundr seemed to see something as well, but he never mentioned it. The captain thought he saw his ship flying in the sky above, but like everything else, we couldn’t see it except him.</p><p>I remember there being giant stone monoliths around us and even a field of wheat or tall grass. The field was a horrifying experience if I recall correctly. While I was crawling on the ground while afraid of the mist, a mound of bugs or something emerged right below me. We had to outrun the swarm and we eventually managed to get away from it. Along with that, there was a giant creature or something in the distance that we heard shriek. It was a harrowing sound and whatever was making it, we didn’t want to encounter it if at all possible.</p><p>It almost felt like a dream, a very bad and realistic dream. I picked up a stick to defend myself and kept an eye out for anything useful. Some of the group were more open-minded to what was happening around us than others. Layla and I were under the impression that everything we were seeing was actually happening around us, whether or not we could hear or see them. Asmundr, on the other hand, was rather skeptical about it all and tried to rely on what he could physically sense.</p><p>Eventually, I spotted a wall of fire in front of us that I saw but no one else could. That, in addition to another event, eventually changed Asmundr’s mind on the matter of us seeing and feeling things he could not. I quickly told the others about what I saw and halted them before they got too close to it. While we were standing around, something struck the miniature dragon that had been following us from the start. It let out a cry and plummeted to the ground. Asmundr then went over and felt around the dragon’s body, wondering what happened to it. He then realized that there was actually an arrow there that he could feel but not see.</p><p>Shortly after that, we were attacked by a pack of shadowy creatures. They were fast and deadly, moving on all four limbs and obscured by shadow and darkness. Their eyes were bright-red and glowing- that much I remembered. Most of everything else was a blur and hard to recall. Being still freaked out by the Mournland-like atmosphere didn’t help things at all.</p><p>The fire prevented our escape, so we had no choice but to fight the threat head on. Unfortunately, we had no weapons and it was simply a massacre. Even in our adult forms, we probably wouldn’t have fared any better. Asmundr was the first to fall as the quadrupedal beasts cut him down using their sharp claws and teeth. Seeing him go down, Layla was panicked and tried to heal him. It was clear as day that Asmundr was already gone, so I tried to get her to move or we’d be next. She wouldn’t budge, so I just stood my ground and tried to defend her the best I could. I still had the stick with me that I found earlier, so that was my only form of defense. I didn’t last long and I vaguely remembered being impaled twice by one of the creatures. Around the same time, another creature had gotten to Layla and was taking care of her as well.</p><p>The next thing I remembered was being back in the black void room where it all started. Everyone was alive but still in their child form. As we were trying to comprehend what had just happened, the old wizard reappeared and began mocking us. He just kept saying that he was having fun torturing us and that we’d be there for eternity.</p><p>Suddenly, the wizard’s tone of voice changed and he began acting completely different. He explained that there were two halves to the wizard before us- the good one and the bad one. I can’t remember all the specifics as I was still rather pissed at what he had just put us through. Anyway, he said that he had temporarily regained control of their shared body, and he was going to put an end to all the torture his bad side had been putting people through. He used all the magic he was able to conjure then everything went black.</p><p> </p><p>#</p><p> </p><p>After it all went dark, I found myself waking back up on the deck of the downed airship. Everyone else was coming to as well while Cloth was just standing over us wondering what was going on. Once we were all sure we were back in the real world, Asmundr showed Cloth the orb and explained where we had been. Cloth said we had only been out for a few moments, so it seemed that time acted differently while in the orb. That was good to hear because it felt like we spent hours or even days in there. When everything was said and done, Asmundr chucked the orb in the nearby pool of water, hoping no one else would ever find it again.</p><p>The captain went back to the helm and made sure his ship was just as he had left it. After conducting a few checks, he informed us that he was ready to take off. He did, however, recommend that we brace ourselves as the repairs he did were only quick fixes. He wasn’t sure how long they’d last, so the ship could plummet out of the sky once more at a moment’s notice. That wasn’t reassuring to hear, but if it was the only way he’d leave with the documents, then that was our only way out of there.</p><p>Using his dragonmark, the captain began controlling the ship and sent it skyward once more. The others and I held on to the railings or whatever we could as we were suddenly lifted high into the sky. The ship exited the chasm and began heading towards the nearest settlement which was Dig’s End. The ship easily cleared the mountains, but as it got closer to the small town, the ship began to fall apart. While he still had control of the ship, the captain told us to prepare for a crash landing. Hearing that, I wasn’t exactly stoked, so I did my best to secure myself in preparation for a bumpy ride.</p><p>The few moments right before the crash were tense as we all waited in racked anticipation for the ship to finally touch down. Then it finally happened and the ship violently impacted the ground before coming to a halt in the outskirts of Dig’s End. Miraculously, we all came out without as much as a scratch. I guess the captain had to be given some credit as he had survived one crash already. We helped the captain retrieve the documents from the safe then escorted him away from the wreckage. He was rather upset that his ship was in ruins, but at least it was somewhat in a safe area where he was able to do proper repairs.</p><p>Hearing the commotion, Geoffrey came out to investigate and found us with the airship captain. We talked with him and got the rest of our reward which consisted of 1500gp each. It was quite the haul and I was ready to spend a bit of it when we were back to Sharn. In the meantime, we were stuck in Dig’s End, so the captain wanted to celebrate a job well done at the tavern. He bought drinks for all of us as well as rooms at the tavern. To top it all off, he also got us First-Class lightning-rail tickets for a ride back to Sharn tomorrow. That was awfully nice of him, so we followed him into the tavern for some merriment.</p><p>We spent the rest of the late afternoon and early evening drinking and socializing in the tavern. I had a drink or two but that was it; I never indulged to the point of becoming drunk and putting myself in a vulnerable state. Meanwhile, Layla decided to have a bit more to drink, so I waited around and watched over her. She was my teammate and roommate after all, so I felt that it was my duty to make sure she didn’t get into any trouble. As it became night and the festivities began dying down, I escorted Layla up to her room then headed off to my own.</p><p>Once I was alone in my room, a let out a sigh of relief. It had been a long day after rescuing the airship captain and going through that fantasy world in the orb. I was beat. I took some time to clean my guns and perform some basic maintenance before bed. By the time I was done, I could barely keep my eyes open. I just plopped down onto bed and I was out.</p><p> </p><p>#</p><p> </p><p>The next morning, we all met up in the tavern for some breakfast. We still had time before our train left, so we decided to explore the town a bit. The others went to hit up the general store, so I followed after them. It was probably good to restock on supplies while we could. I figured the prices couldn’t have been too different from that of the stores in Sharn. I looked around and picked up a Potion of Cure Light Wounds, a Cleansing Stone, and a luggage tag.</p><p>The Cleansing Stone was an enchanted rock that when rubbed over an area, it cleaned it of all grime and debris. It was about the size of a dinner plate and weighed like five pounds. It was a bit cumbersome, but it worked like a charm.</p><p>The luggage tag was made of leather and had “Dig’s End” stitched into it. I decided to give it to Lhara as a souvenir when we got back to the guild. It was kind of like proof that we were there and acted like a little memento to get on her good side. A happy handler meant better jobs for us, or at least, that was what I had hoped. It only cost five silver coins, so it wasn’t like I was spending a fortune on her.</p><p>While we were at the general store, Cloth pulled out all the looted items from the cave that we didn’t want. He ended up selling it all and I got a cut of the profit which ended up being 150gp. After shopping, it was time to board the lightning-rail.</p><p>We met up with the airship captain and Geoffrey who had also bought tickets on the rail. Upon entering the train, we were escorted to First-Class after showing the employee our tickets. It was a big step up from the usual coach and cheap seats I was used to while riding the lightning-rail.</p><p>In First-Class, we each got a seat all to our own with ample leg room. It was padded and extremely comfortable. It even reclined which meant I could take a nap without sitting upright or leaning my head against the window. After a while, the train departed and we were off. During the ride, I got myself a nice head massage which was really relaxing, compliments of being in First-Class. Some of the others indulged and allowed themselves to be pampered during the ride, but I didn’t pay them too much attention. I just focused on myself and how good of a time I was having.</p>
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<a name="section0009"><h2>9. Sleeping Awake</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Part way through our ride, the lightning-rail experienced some technical difficulties. Because of that, it had to make an unscheduled stop to conduct repairs. Fortunately, we weren’t in any rush or had anywhere to be, so we weren’t that annoyed with the news. Since the repairs were going to take a long time, the staff of the lightning-rail gave us vouchers to use on lodging at the town we stopped at.</p><p>The others and I gathered our things and left the lightning-rail car, heading into the town. The place was called Hatheril, a pretty modest locale complete with all the usual amenities one like that provided. Since we were new in town, we decided to visit the tavern first.</p><p>Once we entered, we were greeted by the innkeeper, a half-elf woman named Amira. We greeted her back and found an empty table to sit at together while she finished up with a customer. After she was done, she came over to get our orders. While we were deciding on what to get, she mentioned that they served a local specialty, an alcoholic beverage called goodberry wine. Despite its 250gp price tag, Lost decided to get a bottle. I, on the other hand, just fancied a glass of water. After taking our orders, Amira left to put them in at the bar.</p><p>While we waited at our table, Cloth said he felt a bit uneasy with our surroundings. We all looked around and it seemed ordinary enough to us. I didn’t sense any danger or anything like that. When Amira returned with our drinks, Lost poured himself a glass of his goodberry wine and took a drink from it. Across from him, Cloth took a deeper look at our surroundings and used some magic to detect any magical aura around us. He sensed a strong magical presence from Lost after he took a drink as well as a feint aura from the rest of us and our surroundings. Sensing all that but seeing nothing amiss put him on edge, so he told us he was suspicious of the town we were in and to keep our guard up. After we had our drinks, we left the tavern to see what else the town had to offer.</p><p>Just outside there was an open-air marketplace with several covered stalls and other vendors. All along the perimeter of the square were buildings, but they didn’t seem too interesting to us. We decided to poke around the marketplace to see if we could find anything interesting to buy. While we were walking along, Lost, Asmundr, and Vermundr all tripped on something, but when they looked to see what they tripped on, they couldn’t find anything it could’ve been. When Layla, Cloth, and I asked what they tripped over, they spaced out and didn’t even realize they had tripped. I thought maybe they were drunk, but they only had one drink. Maybe there was something in the goodberry wine, but after they got up, they seemed like they were back to normal. Layla also happened to spot a cat hissing at something behind her, and when she turned around to see what it was, she saw nothing. We just shrugged it off and continued looking around.</p><p>We found the local blacksmith at his stall and decided to pay him a visit. Cloth still had leftover loot and tried to sell it to him. I think he managed to offload some of it and we each got a cut. Couldn’t remember exactly how much we got- maybe around 50gp? The blacksmith didn’t have anything that interested me, so I ended up not buying anything.</p><p>As we were finishing up business there, we heard a woman scream from somewhere nearby. We quickly left to investigate the disturbance and found woman picking up her basket of apples. When we asked her what caused her to drop her apples, she looked at us blankly and said she didn’t drop her apples. We were completely confused as we watched her pick up her basket and apples along with it. She gave us an awkward look then continued on her way, heading to the town church.</p><p>For some reason, we decided to follow her to see if anything else happened. When we arrived at the church, Cloth noticed that it belonged to the Sovereign Host in which he was a devout follower of. That gave him some relief as we followed the woman inside. Upon entry, we were greeted by the priest and welcomed back almost as if we had been there before. Since we weren’t sure if we heard him clearly, we asked what he meant because that was our first time visiting his church, at least, to our knowledge anyway.</p><p>The priest just shook his head and said we’d been visiting the church for the past few days already. We had a “safe room” in the back, as he called it, that we used every time we came by. Each of us even graciously donated three gold coins to the church on previous visits according to him. Skeptical, I double-checked my coin purse and counted my coins. After checking and rechecking, I was indeed three gold coins short. I then took inventory of my ammunition and other supplies and everything was accounted for- hadn’t fired a shot since fighting in the chasm the day before. The others were beginning to worry as well and the priest told us that we were free to use the safe room once more if we needed to.</p><p>We all gave each other worried looks and slowly began making our way to the back of the church where the safe room was. We gathered around the door and carefully opened it up, concerned to see what lay inside. When the door was fully open, we saw a simple room with a lot of items messily strewn about. It looked safe enough, so we all entered and began looking around.</p><p>In the center of the room, we found a religious book that seemingly belonged to Cloth and a mysterious ring on top of it. Cloth went over and picked it up, placing the ring off to the side for now. He inspected the book and determined that it was indeed his, but why it wasn’t on his person, he wasn’t sure. He opened it up and flipped through some pages, becoming horrified at what he saw. Several pages were torn out and some had scribbles and writing all over it. He was disgusted by the defamation of his book, but upon closer inspection, he realized that the writing was his which further puzzled him. He told us that he’d never do that to such a book and didn’t remember doing it.</p><p>While Cloth was pondering how his book came to be in such a rough condition, Asmundr found his journal by a bedroll which he assumed his. We counted the bedrolls there and it appeared that we each had one, though, I couldn’t pick out which was mine on account that I didn’t find any of my belongings around the room. Anyway, Asmundr opened up his journal and found several entries he didn’t remember writing. He began to read the latest ones and they were a bit concerning to say the least.</p><p>In one of the entries that Asmundr was on, he read aloud that Lost and I had apparently scratched words into our chest. I thought that was doubtful until I realized that my chest was a bit sore. I twitched then took off my gloves to look at my fingernails and they indeed had dried blood underneath them. Disgusted, I then turned around to face away from the group. I unbuttoned the top few buttons of my vest and shirt and peered down at my chest. There were fresh wounds there that were in the process of healing. It was undiscernible as to what the word was and I didn’t feel comfortable showing it to the others.</p><p>While I did that, Lost also checked his chest to find a similar result. He didn’t seem as bothered as I did then covered back up. After he was done, he decided to inspect the mysterious ring that was left on Cloth’s book. It didn’t seem to belong to any of us so he slipped it on and tried to attune to it after realizing it was magical in nature. Eventually, he told us he heard shrill screaming which hurt his head, but after a while, he heard a female singing but couldn’t make out the words.</p><p> </p><p>#</p><p> </p><p>The next thing I remembered was staring at a door with my gun aimed right at it. There was a bunch of furniture blocking it and I couldn’t remember how I got there or what was going on. At one point, I was in the safe room in the church with the others, but then the next I was somewhere else in completely different circumstances. I wasn’t sure how long had gone by between those moments but it was forever lost to me.</p><p>I was trembling for some reason and unable to move my right arm. It remained outstretched with a gun in my hand, almost like it sensed something and was acting purely on instinct. I felt horrible, in pain even. I managed to turn my head and found the others behind me at a quick glance. As I looked around, there was blood everywhere along with bandages and other medical supplies strewn about. The others were alive but in differing states of injury.</p><p>I eventually managed to get a hold of my arm and was able to lower my gun, my arm feeling very sore. I turned around to face the others then realized that Lost was missing. I asked around, but nobody seemed to remember anything as well. I holstered my gun and gave myself a look over to see my injuries. My clothes were beat up with several bite marks around. I spotted some on my arm and pushed up my sleeve to inspect the damage. Upon closer inspection, I noticed the bite marks weren’t normal looking. The holes were square, almost as if the teeth that bit me were blunt. I was extremely concerned that I got injured and couldn’t remember a thing. I took a Potion of Cure Light Wounds from my pack and guzzled it down. Immediately, I was able to feel its healing effects which made me feel somewhat better. After healing up, I moved over to the others to see how they were doing.</p><p>Lost was still missing and there were no clues as to where he was. Cloth reported that he was missing his sword. As we were looking around, one of us spotted something shocking. There was a severed hand laying on the floor by the barricaded door. At first. I thought it was Lost’s since he wasn’t with us, but upon closer examination, it looked to be feminine. It was also clasping a make-up mirror, so it couldn’t have been Lost’s; however, if it wasn’t his, then whose was it we wondered. Layla and I checked and we both had our hands much to our relief. We guessed that whatever we were trying to keep out by barricading the door must’ve gotten the unfortunate owner of the hand… and possibly Lost as well.</p><p>We tried not to dwell on that possibility and kept looking around for clues to figure out just what in the world happened. Layla took out her journal and looked it over, finding things she wrote down that she didn’t remember just like Asmundr had done previously. After a bit, we all turned our attention to the lone chest at the back of the room that we had overlooked. We exchanged apprehensive looks then Cloth and Asmundr volunteered to open it.</p><p>The two of them carefully crept up to it while I drew my gun and aimed at the chest as a precaution. Layla moved away from the chest and stood behind me. Once everyone was ready, they opened the chest and nothing happened, which was a relief. After making sure it was safe to get closer, we all gathered around and looked at its contents.</p><p>The chest was just a regular one with a few items inside. The first couple of items we pulled out were two arrows. They didn’t appear to be just normal arrows as they had a fancy look to them as well as a magical aura. We set them aside and continued sifting through the contents. Next, we pulled out an odd looking compass. It didn’t appear to point north and had some other oddities to it. After some examination, Asmundr determined that it was a Monster Compass which signaled when a threat was nearby and the direction it was coming from. After that, we found some stones wrapped in parchment. Cloth determined that they were Thunder Stones which created a loud sound when thrown and impacted something. Along with those items, there was also some cotton, a potion bottle with a bit of liquid in it, and a piece of parchment. The cotton had nothing special about it and the potion was identified as a Potion of Deafness. Lastly, the parchment seemed to have been torn out of Layla’s journal and had a list of names on it, specifically our names. There was also another name at the very bottom of the list that I didn’t recognize- Ada. Her name and Lost’s were crossed out on the list which didn’t bring us any comfort. The hand from earlier must’ve belonged to that Ada person.</p><p>Remembering the hand, Layla went over to give the severed limb a closer look. On one of the fingers, she found a curious-looking ring. She took it off and gave it a look, also taking the mirror that was once clasped in it. Someone identified the ring as a Ring of Memories or as someone else had called it, a Remember Ring. Layla slipped it on to one of her fingers and was able to view the memory that was stored on it. We waited around as we watched Layla slip into a sort of a trance, then after a bit, she came back.</p><p>Layla told us that the memory first started out with a meeting from a woman’s point of view. We were all there sitting across from her at a table within a library of sorts. The woman had a large file of papers with her that she was reading out of and Layla assumed she was a journalist. We then learned about a certain creature, a False Hydra, which used song to distort a person’s memories and senses. At the end of the memory, the person Layla assumed was Ada looked into her hand-held mirror and saw what the library really looked like. She also then caught glimpse of a horrible creature before the memory ended.</p><p>We all stood around Layla, taking in everything she told us from the memory she had just witnessed. We assumed the creature Layla saw in the mirror was the False Hydra and also the creature we were dealing with. It made sense with all the memory loss and illusions we had been experiencing.</p><p>While we were talking, we looked back to where the hand was, but it was nowhere to be seen. Nobody said they had moved it and after looking around, we couldn’t find it. As I was walking around, Layla said she heard a sort of sticky sound as I moved. I looked down, but there was nothing on the ground or the bottom of my boots. She then walked over to me and had me sit down. I complied and she reached down, touching the bottom of my boot. She said she felt something wet and sticky but couldn’t see it. That pretty much confirmed that something was messing with our senses, so we discussed what we could do to neutralize it.</p><p>Thinking back to what Layla told us about the False Hydra, we determined that we had to deafen ourselves to get out of the False Hydra’s influence. The song it sang had to have been something we couldn’t consciously hear, so if we were able to remove our ability to hear completely, it should’ve done the trick. At that point, the contents of the chest made more sense. It seemed we had figured it out previously and had tried to take on the False Hydra but failed. Then it messed with our memories and made us forget all that.</p><p>We quickly went back over to the chest and retrieved the cotton and Potion of Deafness. There wasn’t enough potion to go around, so that couldn’t have been helped. The cotton on the other hand, we had plenty of that. We each took some and pushed them into our ears until we couldn’t hear a thing. Since Cloth had no ears per se, he took some sealing wax and poured it into the place in his head where he heard out of.</p><p>As soon as we were no longer able to hear, the False Hydra’s illusions began to wear off, revealing the true nature of our surroundings. The walls and floor of the room were a lot bloodier than I realized. I looked down and the floor below me was covered in it as well as the soles of my boots. Just to the side of me was the severed hand, still lying on the ground near where we once found it. We looked to each other and we were all a mess, covered in blood from our previous battles with the hydra.</p><p>After getting a hold of ourselves, we decided it was time to venture forth and try our hand at fighting the hydra once more. Asmundr went over to the barricade and began removing the pieces of furniture piled up there. While he was doing that, we readied ourselves for whatever was on the other side of the door. Once the barricaded was removed, we opened up the door and peeked our heads outside.</p><p>It appeared that we were underground in some sort of stone labyrinth. There was no natural light coming from anywhere. In fact, it was near pitch black as the light from the room we were in flooded into the dark hallway. I lit a torch in one hand and kept a gun drawn in the other. Cloth led the way with his shield in hand followed by Vermundr, Asmundr, Layla, and then me in the rear. I was walking backwards as I covered everyone’s flank, keeping an eye out for anything suspicious.</p><p>Just a short ways away from the room, Cloth found his sword and what appeared to be the remains of a tentacle. It seemed like we were able to damage the hydra during one of our last battles, so at least the creature was able to be harmed by us. After retrieving his sword, Cloth continued taking point while we followed close behind him.</p><p>As we ventured further into the long, dark hallways, we came across a strange pit that caught our curiosity. We carefully approached it and looked down into its depths. There were spikes all along the walls of it pointing downward, as if to prevent something from getting out. At the very bottom, we spotted a body that had a striking resemblance to Lost which shocked us. Layla recalled seeing an entry in her journal that talked about Lost falling to his doom in a spike trap. We wanted to retrieve his body, but we ended up leaving him be as it was still too dangerous to do it. The False Hydra was still out there, so we decided to deal with that first; Lost wasn’t going anywhere.</p><p>Just as everyone was about to continue on, I suddenly felt something sharp placed on my neck. I remained calm and glanced down to see a hand grasping a knife, its owner probably having snuck on me from behind. They seemed pretty serious as the knife was held firmly to my throat without hesitation. I gulped and looked to the others who were still preoccupied with the pit and trying to communicate without words. It wasn’t like I could shout out to them as it would’ve fallen on deaf ears. I played it safe and raised my hands, cooperating with the assailant’s demands as they began to direct me away from the group.</p><p>After moving away for a few feet, the person removed the knife from my neck and seemingly stepped away. I waited for a few moments before slowly turning around to see who was so brazenly taking me as their hostage. It was still a bit dark, but the light from my torch was enough to see who it was. It took me a moment then I realized that it was Ada standing before me. She was missing her left hand and a tourniquet was firmly fastened around her wrist. She was all dirty and beat up, seemingly having survived down there on her own for who knew how long. She seemed to be talking as her lips were moving, but I couldn’t understand her. I just shook my head as I kept my hands raised to keep her at ease. Unable to think of anything else, I dropped the torch in my hand, hoping someone would notice it.</p><p>The woman I assumed was Ada didn’t seem to care and kept talking, gesturing with her dagger at me. I just shrugged and kept saying that I couldn’t understand her despite not being able to hear my own voice. Fortunately, the others noticed the light flicker when I dropped the torch and came to my aid. Layla was first to arrive and saw Ada in front of me with the knife. Luckily, she was able to read Ada’s lips and got her to calm down. The two were able to communicate somehow and Layla was finally able to convince Ada to follow us back to the room where we started.</p><p>When we got back, Layla, Asmundr, and I accompanied Ada into the room while Cloth and Vermundr remained on guard just outside the door. Asmundr and I kept our earplugs in while Layla removed them to talk with Ada. Apparently, Ada didn’t know who we were or how she got down there. It appeared that the False Hydra had messed with her memories and senses as well. Layla told her everything we knew during the conversation and got Ada back up to speed.</p><p>While Layla and Ada were talking inside the room, Cloth and Vermundr ran into some trouble outside. The False Hydra decided to attack and engaged them in a brief skirmish. After the battle, Cloth told us it looked like a giant head attached to a tentacle. When I first heard that, it put a very disturbing image in my head, and it turned out not to be too different from what it actually looked like. He managed to defeat it and finished it off by cutting off the head. The tentacle it was attached to squirmed around before retreating, leaving a trail of blood in its wake.</p><p>After Ada agreed to help us, Layla put her earplugs back in and fashioned some for Ada to use. Those of us in the room regrouped with Cloth and Asmundr before continuing on. He showed us the trail of blood from the head he fought earlier, figuring it led back to the main creature. We decided to follow it and along the way, we began seeing other severed hydra heads which led us to believe that we had fought there before.</p><p>We continued following the trail of blood until we arrived at a very large chamber. It was a circular room with a height reaching more than a hundred feet. We proceeded as stealthily as we could and waited in the small corridor leading up to it. In the center of the room was the main body of the False Hydra, and we were a bit unnerved at the sight of it.</p><p>The creature waiting for us was enormous with several heads like an actual hydra, though, unlike an actual hydra, it hardly looked reptilian in nature. It had pale, white skin and black eyes that felt like a void if you looked into them for too long. It was absolutely horrifying. Above the creature, sunlight poured into the room from several holes in the ceiling. We deduced that those were used by the hydra heads to influence the town of Hatheril above. While we were together in the hallway, we all looked to each other to make sure we were ready to fight. I tried to put my uneasiness aside and gave a nod to my team. Once we were ready, we set forth and entered the room.</p><p>The fight started off well and Cloth was more than eager to get into the thick of things. He used his magic and charged straight up to the False Hydra with his sword and shield. The others did their thing and I kept at range, using my revolvers to attack the imposing foe. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Ada draw a dagger and attempt to charge into battle as well. I quickly holstered one of my guns and grabbed her by the arm to stop her, giving her a concerned look as if to say she should stay back. She wasn’t a fighter. She was just a journalist, so I attempted to gesture to her to stay back and leave it to us. She pulled away from me and went ahead anyway. I sneered at her and did my best to cover her, but as soon as she was within range of the False Hydra, it lashed out at her. Ada was hit hard and was forced to the ground. Luckily, the others were able to finish off the creature before Ada got seriously injured. I was relived as I didn’t want a civilian dying while on my watch.</p><p>After fighting had ceased, I continued to keep the earplugs in for a while longer, just in case. I went over and helped Ada up, checking for any serious wounds. Besides her amputated left hand, she was fine and was going to live. The others looked around to make sure the creature was dead and gathered up anything that was salvageable. I let out an exhale of relief and finally decided to take out my earplugs. It felt odd at first as every sound seemed louder than usual, but then everything was back to normal. I kept the earplugs in my coat pocket in the event that I’d suddenly need them again.</p><p>Once the room was clear, the party and I headed back to recover Lost’s body from the spike pit. Ada pleaded with us to head topside and help out around Hatheril first. We heard screams coming from above as the town was overcome with hysteria and panic. The townspeople were suddenly exposed to the aftermath of being freed from the hydra’s illusionary grasp. We declined and told her that our friend came first, then after we recovered his body, we’d come by to help out the town. Ada couldn’t wait for that and headed up on her own to try and help out wherever she could.</p><p>Meanwhile, we continued on and made our way back to the spike pit where Lost’s body was waiting for us. Since we had more time to think things through, we fashioned up a plan to recover the body. We rigged up a rope pulley system and secured Layla to the end of a rope. Once she was ready, we slowly and carefully lowered her into the hole to secure another rope to Lost. After pulling Layla back up, we went on to pull up Lost’s body. He wasn’t breathing and we assumed he was dead, but after we got him out of the hole, we were met with a startling find.</p><p>Apparently, the body we found wasn’t actually Lost, but a Doppelganger who was dressed like him. At first, we wondered if Lost was really a Doppelganger all this time, but after we searched his body, things began to make more sense. We found a piece of parchment that explained everything. The person that we found was an assassin belonging to the Daask, the same criminal organization that the Ettin from the Cogs that we killed a while ago belonged to. The assassin’s job was to disguise himself as one of us then take us out one by one. Unfortunately –or fortunately depending on how one looked at it- he never got his chance as he died after falling into the trap.</p><p>That, however, didn’t explain Lost’s disappearance and we feared that the assassin might have gotten to him. There wasn’t anything signifying that the assassin had killed Lost which was a good sign at least. None of Lost’s belongings were on the assassin and the outfit and weapon were just a disguise similar to his. We were rather appalled at the discovery and disappointed about all the worry and trouble we had to go through to recover it. We quickly went about looting the body of anything worthwhile before unceremoniously pushing it back into the pit. After taking care of all that, we made our way back up to the town to check on things.</p><p>It took us a while, but we eventually navigated our way back outside without encountering any more trouble. It turned out that we were in the remnants of a mine next to Hatheril. The mine provided the False Hydra with a perfect place to take up residence and remain undetected. We looked around and found a path that led back into town. There were still sounds of chaos in the town as we got closer and it became apparent why.</p><p>It was a grisly sight as we saw bodies and blood scattered around the place. Buildings were in disrepair and it looked like a battle zone. There were family members hunched over dead loved ones whose bodies were in varying states of decay and mutilation. The False Hydra had been feeding on the poor denizens of the town, using its songs to mess with the memories and senses of the people to keep the status quo. Now that the song had been stopped, the people saw what their town had really become since the creature’s arrival.</p><p>I felt bad for the people, not knowing that their loved ones had died or even realizing that they were missing in the first place. But, what was I to do? The others and I had already killed the False Hydra for them and we weren’t even asking for a reward. I figured we had done more than enough for them, so I didn’t feel obligated to help out any more than I did. Some of the others in the group, however, had a stronger sense of civic duty and wanted to help out more. I just sighed and followed along, still upset that an indeterminate amount of time had passed and I had no memory of it.</p><p>Cloth led the way and headed over to the large set of stairs in front of the town hall building. We followed behind him and wondered what he was going to do. He then stood at the top of the stairs and shouted for everyone to come over and hear what he had to say. It took a moment for the townspeople to break out of their hysteria, but they eventually got a hold of themselves and started gathering around him at the bottom of the stairs.</p><p>Cloth then delivered an inspirational speech to them all as he tried to motivate them into taking action. He talked about how they should grieve for their lost ones and eventually move on. To be honest, I wasn’t paying full attention as I just stood off to the side, thinking about the False Hydra we had just fought. I did catch the part where he mentioned erecting a statue as a memorial for the dead and that he’d pay for it all. After he was done, we followed Amira, the tavern owner we met from when we first arrived there, back to her establishment.</p><p>The tavern was a mess with tables turned over and signs of blood still around the floor. The others decided to help out and began cleaning up around the place. Not to look like I didn’t want to help, I meandered around and picked up a few chairs here and there.</p><p>While we were working, Layla remembered that she forgot to pick up her good arrow from the False Hydra fight. She asked me to accompany her back there so I agreed, not really wanting to stay and help clean up the tavern. She and I made our way back to the mine and entered into its depths once more. I was a little apprehensive, but we didn’t encounter any trouble at all. She found her arrow then we headed back into town.</p><p>It was evening by the time we got back, so we decided to stay at the tavern for the night. Amira gave us rooms on the house as thanks for helping out. She also said she’d give us a little discount on the goodberry wine they sold. We thanked her for the generosity then turned in for the night. I was beat and still apprehensive about the loss of memory caused by the False Hydra. I quickly performed maintenance on my guns and checked my belongings to make sure I wasn’t missing anything. After that, I went straight to bed and passed out.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0010"><h2>10. Wild Night</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The next morning, I found it hard to get out of bed as my body was super achy and sore. The long periods of fighting and sleeping on the ground had taken its toll. We all met up in the tavern for a quick bite to eat then discussed how we were going to get back to Sharn. During the down time, we remembered that the airship captain and Geoffrey were with us when we first arrived in Hatheril, but they were nowhere to be found. We didn’t want to assume the worst, so we instead figured they had already left. The train we rode in on was also gone, having left long ago. It was a good thing we didn’t have any luggage or bags on it after departing.</p><p>While we were seated at the table, one of us then dug into their pockets and pulled out an old lightning-rail ticket. It was a one-way ticket back to Sharn and it appeared to be still valid. We all checked our pockets and bags and found similar tickets that had yet to be redeemed. They weren’t First-Class, unfortunately, and were instead just standard ones. We couldn’t remember how we got them, but we were thankful regardless, unless of course we paid for them ourselves but forgot.</p><p>As we were talking, Ada came by to see how we were doing and she sat down with us, chatting a bit. Remembering my first encounter with her, I asked her how she was able to sneak up on me. She told me she used to be a pickpocket in the lower parts of Sharn before becoming a journalist, so she was used to being sneaky. I applauded her skill but warned her playfully not to try it again or she’d end up with a bullet in her.</p><p>While Ada had our attention, she told us she worked for a prominent newspaper in Sharn called the Korranberg Chronicle. She then went on to say that it was us actually that brought her to Hatheril which led to her subsequent loss of her left hand. We apologized for the misfortune we caused and asked why we called her over in the first place. She explained that she had leads on the mysterious happenings of the town and volunteered to come fill us in on the findings. Since the mystery had been solved, she said she wanted to do an article about it in the newspaper. She gave us her information which included her name and the address of her office. She wanted us to stop by once we were back in Sharn so she could interview us. We thanked her for the offer and said we’d be leaving soon to catch a train. Ada said she was about to head out too and asked to accompany us. We agreed and headed to the station with her to wait for the lightning-rail.</p><p>When the lightning-rail finally arrived, it was covered in decorations. We asked one of the employees what the occasion was and he said that it was going to be Wild Night tomorrow. Doing some math, we figured it had been almost two weeks since we first arrived in Hatheril. The time gap wasn’t as bad as we thought, but it was still unnerving that we lost nearly two weeks’ worth of memories. I just hoped I didn’t do or say anything embarrassing, but I guess it wasn’t like anyone was going to remember anyway. We handed over the old tickets and were allowed to board the lightning-rail. We found some empty seats and settled in along with Ada for the ride.</p><p>The lightning-rail ride back to Sharn was rather uneventful. We all talked amongst ourselves more, but nothing of note was said. When we arrived, we were glad to be back and breathed a sigh of relief. Before we parted ways with Ada, she told us that she wanted to meet somewhere for the interview the next day. We told her we wanted to meet somewhere casual, so we mentioned the Clifftop Adventurers Guild. She said that was fine then headed off back to her newspaper office.</p><p>After waving goodbye, we continued on our way to meet up with Lhara at the Clifftop Adventurers Guild. She was probably concerned after we hadn’t reported back after rescuing the airship captain. We weren’t even sure he was still alive even, but oh well; we completed the job by getting him and the documents out of the chasm and to a relatively safe settlement. Anyway, when we entered the guild hall and found Lhara, she was happy to see us alive and well. We found a table in the tavern and sat down with her to report in. Layla went ahead and filled her in on everything we had been up to, starting with the mission to save the airship captain and finishing off with our departure from Hatheril. After the story, I handed Lhara her gift- the souvenir luggage tag I bought for her. She gave me an awkward smile and thanked me for the kind gesture as she took it.</p><p>Once we had told her everything, Lhara told us to get some rest then promptly resume with the other mission she gave us. The provost was getting restless and wanted his jewel charged sooner rather than later. We apologized for the delay then told her we’d get right on it. After we left the guild, we decided to accompany Asmundr back to his apartment to see if Lost was there. It was a long shot, but we just had to know in case he somehow found his way back there before we did.</p><p>When we got to the apartment Asmundr and Lost shared, we readied ourselves for whatever we found or lack thereof. I just assumed the worst and that Lost wasn’t home. It was better than getting my hopes up and being disappointed. Asmundr unlocked the door and allowed us into the main room, however, we weren’t allowed in either bedroom. The living room was empty with no signs of Lost having been there, so Asmundr decided to check his bedroom on his own. While he did that, we waited around until he got back. He was only gone for a few moments then came back shaking his head. He did, however, find Lost’s bag in his room which had a lot of his belongings still in it. That signaled to us that he had managed to find his way back without us at some point, or at least, his bag did. That only added to our confusion as there was no letter or mention of where he went. There was nothing we could do about, so we just hoped he returned safe and sound.</p><p>Before we left the apartment, the others and I formulated a way of determining who we said we were and not some assassin or Doppelganger in disguise. It consisted of a secret handshake of sorts. It started off with two hand slaps down low before acting casual for a moment then finishing with a hand slap up high. It was sort of silly, but if it meant we could trust each other better then so be it. Once that was taken care of, Asmundr kicked us all out and we returned to our own residences.</p><p>Layla and I made our way back to our apartment, and when we got there, I headed straight to my room. It was a relief to be back and I didn’t even bother unpacking or anything. I just dropped my bag and gear to the floor before quickly undressing. With just my shirt and pants on, I flopped onto my bed and went to sleep.</p><p> </p><p>#</p><p> </p><p>After waking up the next day, I met Layla in the common area of our apartment. She said she wanted to get some breakfast with me and chat. Since I had nothing planned for the morning, I agreed and followed her to find somewhere to eat. The only business had that day as a group was to meet with Ada later at the guild, so we had some free time to kill. We eventually found a nice little restaurant called the Early Bird. It had the basic types of breakfast dishes one could want. I just had some eggs and bread since I wasn’t too hungry. While we ate, we chatted a bit about our pasts and such, though, I didn’t go into too much detail of course. After eating, we went our own separate ways and I decided to get some business taken care of being meeting with the others.</p><p>I first went to my go-to man for ammunition to buy a few more rounds. Surprisingly, I didn’t use as many as I would have guessed, so I just topped off my supply. After that, I browsed around the nearby stores but didn’t find anything of interest. I wanted to get a massage, but I wasn’t sure if I was going to have enough time or not. As such, I decided to save it for later when I didn’t have to worry about business. When the time came, I went to the Clifftop Adventurers Guild to meet up for the interview.</p><p>When I entered the guild house, I looked around for the others at the Drunken Dragon tavern. I eventually found them sitting at a round table with a curious-looking bag placed right in the middle. At the time, I didn’t pay much attention to the bag as I took my seat there with them. After a few moments, though, the bag began to stir which startled me. Cloth then emerged from within it and laughed, saying he had wanted to pull that prank since buying the bag. It was a Bag of Holding and he said he bought it to help the group as a whole. In addition to holding his own belongings, he was going to use it to store loot we found on jobs to sell later. He did, however, also mention the price which was a bit substantial, so since it was meant to help the group, I chipped in 100gp to help cover the costs.</p><p>Not long after Cloth’s joke with the Bag of Holding, Ada came by the guild and sat down with us at our table. Before we got to business, Cloth had a sort of gift for Ada that he wanted to present to her. As an apology for dragging her all the way out to Hatheril which resulted in losing her hand, he had procured a special prosthetic for her to use. It was expertly made and catered specifically to her occupation as a journalist. It had a special compartment that housed a quick-access notepad and pen for her to use while on the job. He helped her put it on and it fit just right. It took a bit getting used to, but she managed to get her fingers to move eventually. After she thanked Cloth for his generous gesture, she got down to business.</p><p>Ada took some time and interviewed each of us about the events that happened in Hatheril. When it was my turn, I told her what I remembered, holding nothing back. For some reason, though, Asmundr asked to remain anonymous when Ada wrote about him in her article. I, on the other hand, didn’t care if she used my name or not. In fact, I wanted her to use my name and give me the credit I so rightly deserved. I needed the exposure for potential future job endeavors. After getting all of our inputs on the Hatheril Incident as it was later known to be called, Ada thanked us again for saving her then left the tavern.</p><p>Once that was all over with, we left the guild hall to walk around the city and see what Wild Night looked like in Sharn. The city seemed to be more lively than usual with decorations all around and people flooding the streets in celebration. I wasn’t really into holidays, at least not since my mom died. There were a few high points when I was still employed under the Cyran government, but they were too far in-between.</p><p>As we were walking along down one of the main avenues, we happened to notice some sort of disturbance up ahead. We thought nothing of it until we saw people running towards us from that direction while panicking and screaming. At that point, we knew something was up, so we moved ahead to investigate. We moved through the crowd of people that had started to form and saw an overturned carriage that seemed to have crashed. In front of it were some goblins and hobgoblins dressed in prison uniforms along with a large troll. They were fighting what we assumed were the guards supposed to be in charge of them. Just passed them, we caught glimpse of a small group of prisoners making their escape from the battle. They were well out of range, but we could at least help take care of the remaining prisoners. We drew our weapons and quickly came to the remaining guards’ aid.</p><p>I kept my distance and let the melee fighters go ahead of me. I wanted to stay clear of that troll as much as possible. Unfortunately, while focusing on the troll, I failed to keep track of the goblins and soon found myself surrounded by a small group of them. Things started off horribly as my first pull of the trigger ended up being a misfire. The round must’ve been faulty, so when I pulled the trigger, it just clicked and failed to fire. Needless to say, I was rather agitated that it happened in the heat of combat, but it wasn’t catastrophic. The next few rounds worked perfectly and I soon made quick work of them. I continued to provide ranged support for the others as they did their thing. Once they were taken care of, I quickly took care of the misfired cartridge then continued fighting.</p><p>It took a bit of finesse on part of the others, but we eventually managed to take down the troll. Afterwards, the goblins who were still alive panicked and fled. Luckily, they didn’t get far as they ran into a detachment of city guards coming to provide back-up. They rounded up the escapees that they encountered and came over to where we were by the overturned carriage. We acted calm and announced ourselves as private citizens providing assistance to the guards. The leader of the group, a female captain, thanked us for our help and took charge from then on. While she was talking to us, I asked her about possible compensation or a reward for helping out. We did prevent a good number of convicts from causing more harm after all. She thought for a moment then directed us to find a co-worker of hers at the precinct, an officer named Sergeant Dolon whom we had met previously. She said he might have something for us if we asked.</p><p>After explaining the situation to the captain there, we all left the scene to go about the rest of our evening. Asmundr and Cloth went off to do their own thing while I followed Layla around a bit more, acting as her wingman. She wanted to stay out and see what else was happening around the city. I just wanted to make sure she didn’t get into any trouble and got back home all right.  Before getting involved in all the festivities, we quickly made a trip back to the apartment to drop off our gear and any valuables we didn’t want to bring with us, just in case. We only took a bit of money and our weapons before leaving the apartment again.</p><p>As it got later into the evening, things became more lively. I wasn’t much of a party-girl and neither was Layla, so we just mostly watched instead of indulging in heavy drinking and other forms of debauchery. While we were out, we decided to visit the precinct and collect on that reward money the female guard officer mentioned earlier.</p><p>The precinct was busier than normal with guards bringing in rowdy citizens and the usual Wild Night troublemakers. Layla and I went in, despite my distrust of places like that, and asked around for Sergeant Dolon, the associate the female captain told us about. When we met him, he recognized us and wondered what brought us to his attention. We told him about how we aided the guards with the escaped convicts and how the female captain said there was a potential reward involved. The sergeant sat silent then looked around his desk. He then pulled out a bag containing around 3,000gp and handed it to us. We graciously took it and thanked him for the reward before leaving the precinct. Doing some quick math in my head, I figured we each got a cut of 750gp which was pretty good for a quick job.</p><p>With a hefty amount of coin on our person, we decided not to linger outside for too long. We sampled some things here and there while we walked about before retiring back to our apartment. We figured it was best to be in our apartment in case things got too rowdy around town. If the worst case scenario happened to come along, we wanted to be home if we had ended up having to defend what was ours from stupid people or those with ill intent. Fortunately, nothing happened and the night came to pass without as much as a knock on the door.</p><p>The next day was mostly spent on our own as we had nothing planned. The Wild Night festivities were still happening, so there were still opportunities to party. I decided to do some errands and restocked on supplies, heading to my favorite ammunition vendor. I picked up more metal cartridges for my revolvers and a torch. I told him about the misfire I had when one of the rounds duded out and he apologized. I didn’t give him too much of a hard time since he was the only ammunition vendor I knew and I couldn’t produce my own quite yet. He was also a nice, old man, so I wanted to keep up good relations with him for future business. After that, I didn’t do much else and returned home to wait out the last night of Wild Night.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0011"><h2>11. Mountain Sanctuary</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Since it had been a couple of days since getting back to Sharn, the others and I decided to visit Lhara at the guild to talk about the other job we had. Before leaving to save the airship captain, we received another mission from her but couldn’t remember the details exactly. It was a job directly for the guild, so we thought it was best to get the objectives cleared up before taking it on.</p><p>We all met at the Drunken Dragon and waited for her to arrive. While we were sitting around, Layla and I passed out the coins we received as a reward for helping out during the prisoner escape. Shortly after we were done giving everyone their cut, Lhara showed up and sat down with us. She again expressed her concern about the job still not being done but was glad to see that we were finally ready to start it. Once she was settled in, Lhara went over the specifics of the job once more.</p><p>Lhara explained that we needed to take an item of the provost’s, an amulet called the Sunrise Sapphire, to get it magically charged at a “manifest zone”. A manifest zone was a place in the world that had a strong, elemental tie to an otherworldly plane... or something. For instance, she used the example of Sharn being in a manifest zone with the element of air being the one associated with it. It made sense with the high-rise buildings and all the things that flew around.</p><p>Anyway, the manifest zone we were supposed to go to was located in the Graywall Mountains, which wasn’t as far as our last job but still required some travel to get there. For this mission, Lhara had already pre-arranged some transportation to get us there. She had contracted an airship to take us to the mountains whereupon arrival, we’d disembark and hike the rest of the way to the target area. The best part was that we didn’t have to pay a single coin on travel expenses. For the trip back, she had arranged a chartered carriage to bring us back to Sharn. All we had to do was get down from the mountains to the nearest village and it’d be waiting for us.</p><p>After she was done explaining everything once more, she asked if we had any lingering questions. I didn’t have a question, but I did tell her I’d pick up another souvenir for her while we were out there. You know, just as a professional courtesy and all. Since no one else had anything else to say, Lhara got up and led us out of the guild to where the airship was waiting for us.</p><p>The walk to where the airship was docked was brisk and straightforward. It seemed like Lhara wanted us to get underway as soon as we could. As we approached the dock, she told us the captain was a good acquaintance of the guild and not to cause him any trouble. We told her we’d do our best before she bid us farewell and good luck on our journey.</p><p>As Lhara was leaving, the captain of the ship came over to introduce himself. I didn’t catch his name, but I did recall him saying that his ship was called “The Clear Blue Sky”. We all introduced ourselves then followed him onto his ship so we could make way. After getting airborne and setting course for the Graywall Mountains, we transitioned to his cabin so we could continue talking. It seemed that the captain had taken quite the interest in our tales, so the others (particularly Cloth) went about regaling him with our most recent adventures.</p><p> </p><p>#</p><p> </p><p>The journey to our destination took roughly two days or so. During that time, I didn’t do much except stay inside the cabin, occasionally peeking my head outside once in a while. The trip was rather peaceful compared to the last one where the ship could’ve fallen out of the sky at a moment’s notice. When we got to the target area, the others and I met on the top deck to prepare for debarkation. The captain couldn’t land the ship due to the terrain, so we had to jump off the side to get to the ground. That was why Lhara had given us Tokens of Featherfall as part of our initial mission gear. Since Cloth used his token during the last mission, he was fortunate enough to get a replacement from Lhara.</p><p>Before jumping off all cavalier like, we took a moment to go over some safety precautions. It was nighttime with heavy cloud cover below us, making it very difficult to see for those of us without the ability to see clearly in the dark. To prevent from getting separated during the drop, the others came up with the idea of tying a rope around each other. I didn’t quite like the idea of being suddenly tugged violently if someone activated their Token of Featherfall before I did, so I declined to attach myself. Layla decided to opt out as well since she had a Ring of Featherfall which acted differently than the token. While worn, the ring activated after the wearer had fallen a certain distance, unlike a token which activated immediately after it was broken. Because of that, she had to go by herself or else risk being yanked by the others. Her plan was to keep the ring off then place it on her finger once she was closer to the ground. As she prepared for the jump, the others took a long-length of rope and began tying it around their waists, making sure to leave a generous amount of slack before the next person tied themselves off.</p><p>While they were doing that, I took off my hat and stashed it in my bag. It certainly wouldn’t have stayed on during the fall and I didn’t want to risk losing it. I then made sure I had my token ready in my hand and looked to the others.</p><p>When everyone was ready, we moved to the edge of the ship and thanked the captain for his hospitality. Asmundr, Vermundr, and Cloth were all tied together, so they went first. Even though it was dark out, I managed to catch Cloth rendering a crisp salute to us as he stepped off the edge. After they went, Layla and I gave each other a nod then stepped off as well.</p><p>Heights usually didn’t bother me, but falling from that high up and in those conditions was a bit unnerving to say the least. I could hardly see a thing as the freezing wind assaulted my eye and the darkness around me obscured my vision. I should’ve thought things out better as I struggled to make out my surroundings. Luckily as we broke through the clouds, there was just enough ambient light for me to judge my distance away from the ground. I was able to make out the silhouettes of the trees below and a vague picture of the terrain. As I looked around, I clutched the token tight in anticipation and when the time was right, I broke it. Having used it once before already, I was a bit more comfortable with the situation than I normally would have been. I was just glad the tokens worked as advertised.</p><p>As the token broke, my descent was immediately slowed down to a safe falling speed as my feet came down underneath me. Luckily, I was in a clearing of sorts and had missed the tall trees that populated the forest around us. Once I was safely on the ground, I reached into my pack and pulled out a torch along with my hat. I placed the hat back on my head where it belonged then lit the torch, illuminating my surroundings better so that I could see. It took a brief moment to get my bearing, but then I managed to find the others who had all landed safe and sound nearby.</p><p>We all met up and planned our next move. Layla had been given a map of the area from Lhara, so we followed the path that was outlined on it to get to where we needed to go. It seemed pretty straightforward- get to the place, charge the amulet somehow, then return it to Lhara. Easy. I kept the torch in my hand raised as I followed along with the others.</p><p>Using the map and Layla’s instincts as our guide, we walked along through the forest and mountainous terrain. According to the map, it was going to take around three days on foot to get to where we were going. The snow and cold temperatures didn’t help much as it slowed down our walking speed just a tad. Had I realized we were going into a wintery environment, I would’ve packed extra garments to keep warm. I guess that was my fault for not doing proper research and making better preparations.</p><p>Later on during our trek, we arrived at the edge of a very tall cliff side. The quickest way forward was over the edge and down the rock face. Any alternative, yet safer ways looked like it was going to add a substantial amount of time to our journey and we didn’t want that. Thankfully, Cloth had gotten himself some climbing gear and got it ready for use. He pulled out more rope and some metal pitons to help with the climb down. He found a large rock to use as our anchor and tied one end of the rope to it, securely fastening it so it wouldn’t come undone while someone was rappelling down. When everything was ready, the group started rappelling down one by one. Layla volunteered to go last so she could untie the rope for us; she had her Ring of Featherfall, so she was able to get down to us without using the climbing gear.</p><p>We continued on for a bit more until we got tired and didn’t want to go any further. It was cold and late into the night, so we decided to get some sleep while it was still dark then proceed in the morning. We all looked around and eventually found a nice clearing to set up camp for the night. It was in a little alcove in the mountainside with a singular corridor to get there. Cloth figured it made an ideal spot to keep us safe while we slept, so we headed on over to claim it for ourselves.</p><p>There was an ample amount of space to set up camp, so Asmundr pulled out two tents from his Bag of Holding and started setting them up. Meanwhile, someone else began making a campfire while the rest of us helped with the tents. Once everything was prepared, Layla started hunting around the nearby woods for some food to make dinner. We only had a limited amount of rations, so she wanted to make them last longer by living off the land whenever we could. While she was out hunting, the rest of us just sat around the campfire and tried to keep warm until she got back.</p><p>During the down time, Cloth decided to strike up a conversation with me about my guns. He asked where I got them from and how they worked. I was always happy to talk about them, so I answered whatever questions he had to the best of my ability.</p><p>A little later on, Layla returned to us after a successful hunt. She managed to get two rabbits for us to eat and immediately went about skinning and preparing them for dinner. After skinning the rabbits, she set the pelts off to the side to keep before going on to butchering the meat. Once it was all prepared, she got a pot and some vegetables from Asmundr then began cooking up a stew.</p><p>It was very tranquil there, sitting around a campfire at night in the shadow of a snowy mountain. The nighttime atmosphere was quiet and the frigid air nipped at our exposed skin. It was rather peaceful and I was actually almost enjoying myself. It almost felt as if we were there on a camping trip or something. I would’ve preferred a bit warmer clothing, but all things considered, I was having a good time. While we were eating, Cloth decided to sing a somber tune since he didn’t need to eat. It was surprisingly good and brought a tear to my eye as I completely stopped eating to focus on the song.</p><p>After an unexpectedly comforting dinner around the campfire, those of us that needed to sleep turned in for the night. Layla and I shared one of the tents while Asmundr claimed the other for himself. Cloth remained awake and stood guard for us, remaining vigilant as he kept his focus on the chokepoint leading to our campsite.</p><p>I’m not sure how much sleep I got, but I was sure it wasn’t a full night’s rest. I remembered waking up rather irritably to the sounds of voices and movement. As I tried to focus my senses on what was going on, I managed to pick out words like “enemies” and “attack”. I grumbled to myself in frustration and gathered my gear, preparing for whatever the commotion was about.</p><p>As I got out of the tent, Cloth informed us all that he spotted a group of ogres and half-ogres approaching the campsite. In preparation, he had set up a trap at the mouth of the chokepoint using a tanglefoot bag, trip-wire, alchemist fire, and Asmundr’s anti-light lamp to buy us some time. We only had a small amount of time before the enemy got to where the trap was and set it off. I got behind some cover and laid in wait to ambush the enemy along with the others.</p><p>Once the trap was triggered, we all attacked and took out the approaching enemy force without incident. It was a quick battle and once it was over, I trudged on over to my tent and went right back to sleep. I didn’t even take off my gear or reload my guns. I wanted to get in as much rest for however long I had left before we continued on.</p><p> </p><p>#</p><p> </p><p>The next time I woke up, it was much brighter out than before but still with an overcast in the sky. It was so nice and warm in my bedroll that I didn’t want to get up just yet. Eventually, I relented and started packing things up much to my displeasure. I yawned and slowly got out from my tent while looking around.</p><p>Asmundr was already up and had checked the animal traps that he had set up the night before. He had snagged a deer and fox but let the fox go since it wasn’t good for meat. The deer, however, he kept and was currently in the process of butchering for provisions. He ended up getting enough meat to make us breakfast and make roughly nine-days’ worth of rations. He also kept the pelt and cleaned it up, giving it to me to keep warm since he noticed how I was constantly shivering before. I thanked him and graciously took it, draping it on my back and over my shoulders. When he was done preparing the meat, he cooked some of the deer for us to eat for breakfast. Despite being a vegetarian, Asmundr was pretty good at butchering animals and cooking meat which was surprising. After eating breakfast and tearing down camp, we continued on with our hike through the snow-covered mountains.</p><p>Two days went by without anything too note-worthy to mention. Asmundr and I had a minor spill down a rocky slope and got scraped up a bit, but Cloth took care of our injuries using his magic. One of the nights, we took shelter in a cave while Cloth stood watch again. Thankfully, we got to sleep uninterrupted which was a relief.</p><p>The next morning, we awoke to a growing storm in the distance. Despite the dark sky, we saw the rain creating a dark curtain far off in the distance. Eventually, the rain clouds caught up to us, so we had to seek shelter. It was raining hard and we were getting completely soaked, chilling our bodies all the way to the bone. We got lucky and found a rock outcropping along our path. We hurried over and hunkered down there to wait out the storm. Time passed us by and the rain kept pouring. We eventually decided to just stay there and camp out for the night. It was relatively secure and Cloth was going to keep watch over us like he always did.</p><p>When we woke up the next morning, one of our party wasn’t exactly feeling well. Layla said she was feeling sick and when I gave her a cursory inspection, she looked like it. Since we weren’t in any rush, we decided to wait around a bit until she felt better. Making her travel in the cold weather and exert herself was only going to make her illness worse, and if we happened to find ourselves in another fight, she wasn’t going to be able to do her best. While we were there, I got Layla more comfortable and wrapped my pelt around her to keep her warm. The rain and cold had to have gotten to her. I sat beside her and shared my body heat the best I could as well- you know, since we were roommates and teammates and such.</p><p>As I kept watch over Layla, Cloth searched for some firewood while Asmundr did some foraging and hunting for food. After a bit of waiting, Cloth surprisingly returned with some dry wood and made a fire. To prevent the light of the fire from attracting unwanted attention, we used the canvas from one of the tents to block it. We fashioned a sort of curtain and allowed for a small opening for smoke to escape so we didn’t suffocate ourselves.</p><p>Later on, Asmundr came back after a bit of waiting with a dead badger. He said he was going to prepare a stew and went about butchering the animal outside the tent screen. I kept Layla warm while we waited for him to finish cooking. Her condition wasn’t worsening which was good. The stew was okay and I managed to stomach it down. I wasn’t particularly fond of badger meat, but it was edible so whatever.</p><p>For the remainder of the day, we stayed at the outcropping so Layla could continue to rest up. I remained by her side and tended to Layla as needed, helping her eat and keeping her warm. When it got late into the evening, we all got some sleep while Cloth kept watch.</p><p>When morning came, we all checked in on Layla to see how she was doing. She said she was feeling much better and was able to continue on. It turned out that the extra rest she got was all she needed to get better. We all had a quick breakfast using the butchered meat from before then packed up camp.</p><p>Layla took out the map and began leading the way once more; however, after traveling a bit more along the route, we ran into a dead end. We checked and re-checked the map and it appeared we were in the right place, or at least, according to it. Since the map seemed to purposely have led us there, we decided to take a closer look at our surroundings. Cloth used some magic to detect any illusionary spells and low and behold, the way forward was hidden behind an illusion. There was a cave entrance right in front of us, but the false rock side hid it from view. It was dark inside the cave, so we proceeded with caution. We also thought we heard the faint sound of a woman singing a beautiful song, but we didn’t think much of it at the time.</p><p>Once we entered the cave, we had to rely on our own navigational skills to get to where we needed to. The map stopped at the cave entrance, so we weren’t exactly sure if we were going the right way or not. Thankfully, Layla was a great navigator and a budding cartographer, so we managed all right in the end. We ended up traveling underground for three days before making any noticeable progress. On the third day, we finally made it out of that labyrinth of a cave system to quite the sight.</p><p>After our eyes adjusted after coming out of the dark depths, we saw a wide, open valley with a bright, but not blinding, light in the distance. The area was covered in lush, green fields and it was surprisingly warm despite the snowy weather from before. It was quite comfortable even and I was feeling pretty good. As we were standing there taking in the view, we all started to hear a woman singing again. It was just like when we first entered the cave and I unknowingly became entranced in its melody.</p><p>Luckily, I wasn’t alone and had the others there with me. It turned out that the song was being sung by harpies to hypnotize us and incapacitate us. While I was zoned out, the others noticed them approaching though the harpies didn’t seem openly hostile. Cloth smacked me right across the cheek to snap me out of my trance, and when I asked him what that was for, he pointed to the approaching group of harpies. I quickly recomposed myself and prepared for the worst.</p><p>As the group of harpies approached, the singing stopped and they confronted us. The leader of the harpies, a female harpy named Mieno, asked us how we found the valley and what our purpose for being there was. We acted as friendly as we could but also remained on-guard just in case. We explained that we were on a mission for the Clifftop Adventurers Guild and meant the harpies no harm. We then told them about the map we had and how we just happened to find them after traversing through the caves.</p><p>Mieno seemed to trust us and led us through the valley to where we could charge the stone, though, she and her guards kept a watchful eye on us. As we walked through the enclave, Mieno told us that they were unlike other harpy communities. Her enclave was called the Haunting Song and all they wanted to do was live in peace, away from the troubles and violence of their homeland. They had worked hard to keep their valley a secret from outsiders, so that was why they were wary of us suddenly showing up.</p><p>When we arrived at the location where we could charge the stone, Mieno said that charging it might take a while, so she allowed us to stay at her camp as long as we didn’t cause any trouble. We took her up on the offer and thanked her for the hospitality, leaving the stone at the manifest zone to finish charging. In the meantime, we looked around the camp and socialized with the other harpies. Some of the others decided to use some of the meat we had to cook some food for the locals as a sign of solidarity.</p><p>I just looked around and split off from the others to find a suitable place to set up camp. The bright light around us was unfortunately continuous, courtesy of the reflecting stone in the middle of the valley. Because of that, I had to find a shady spot to pitch my tent and hopefully make it dark enough so I could sleep later on. As it got late, or what we assumed to be later, we all turned in to get some sleep. I did my best to darken my tent but some light still got through. Thankfully, I eventually managed to get some sleep though it wasn’t much.</p><p>In the middle of our sleep, we were abruptly awoken to the screams and sounds of panic all around us. Again, after an incomplete period of rest, I irritably got out of my tent to see what was going on. Apparently, a large invading force of gnolls and goblins had also found the valley and were causing a ruckus. Soon after we had regrouped, Mieno confronted us and asked if we had anything to do with the gnolls attacking her community. Cloth explained that we didn’t and that we’d help defend her home from the invaders.</p><p>Mieno had no choice but to believe us and we followed her into battle. It was pure chaos with harpies and gnolls fighting each other all around the valley. I stayed close to the others as we fought off enemies that were close to Mieno. The enemies kept coming and Mieno mentioned cutting off their point of access to the valley. We all looked to the cave entrance and told her we’d handle it. She gave us a nod and continued to fend off the enemies there along with her harpy warriors.</p><p>The others and I rushed for the cave entrance to prevent reinforcements from potentially showing up. During the sprint there, Layla and I got hit with enemy projectile fire. An arrow grazed my chest while one got Layla in her calve. They didn’t stick, but they did leave a nasty cut. When we arrived at the cave, we looked for a way to prevent more enemies from showing up. Inside the cave, we saw two stone pillars that looked to be acting as natural supports. We figured that if we could take out the supports, we could cause a cave-in, or something, and block the entrance. Easier said than done.</p><p>As we tried to figure out a way to destroy the solid rock pillars, more enemies showed up from the depths of the cave. There was nothing I could do about the pillars, so I left that up to the others to figure out while I focused on the incoming enemies. During the fight, I had another misfire which was annoying but not disastrous. Last night, I kind of rushed gun maintenance before bed, so that was what I got for doing that. I managed to hold my own and the others were eventually able to bring down the pillars. We ran out of there before getting caught up in the cave-in and made it out just in time. Collapsing the pillars seemed to do the trick and the entrance was fully sealed. There were still enemies in the valley fighting, so we hurried back to provide support.</p><p>We rejoined the fray and helped the harpies take out the remaining enemies that were still left. While we were fighting, a small number of additional scattered enemies showed up, but they weren’t a problem. We took them down too and had a brief moment to catch our breath. While we were mopping up things, a harpy scout said they spotted an additional force coming our way from elsewhere in the valley. We took the time to tend to our wounds and prepare before they got to our location. I quickly reloaded my guns and fixed whatever caused the misfire earlier.</p><p>When the reinforcements came along, we engaged them head on. I fired off shot after shot and had to keep my head on a swivel. There were enemies all over and I had to prevent them from attacking me on my flank. As we were finishing off the second wave, we noticed that two smaller groups had broken off from the main force. One was headed towards the Sunrise Sapphire while another was about to intercept a group of harpy younglings. I acted on instinct and immediately began moving to defend the children. Cloth accompanied me while Layla, Asmundr, and Vermundr went to protect the amulet.</p><p>Cloth and I rushed over and managed to get there in time, saving the harpy kids from potential harm. We took out the small group of attackers and hurried to rendezvous with the others. In the distance, we saw Layla, Asmundr, and Vermundr chasing after a group of fleeing goblins. They said that the sapphire was gone and guessed one of the goblins had it. Cloth and I hurried to provide assistance, but the goblins had evaded us. We then saw Mieno speeding off by herself towards another cave entrance, seemingly pursuing another group of enemies. The goblins were also headed in that direction, so we hurried to help her out and find the amulet.</p><p>Inside the cave, we found Mieno engaged in combat with a large gnoll who looked to be the leader of the invasion force. Seeing her fighting by her lonesome, I rushed to her aid and engaged the leader gnoll as well. The others spread out and started attacking the rest of the enemies. I had another misfire happen to me during the fight, which was embarrassing. Twice in the same battle. Things like that could’ve proven fatal, but fortunately I made it through in one piece.</p><p>In the end, we reigned victorious and successfully repelled the invasion. All attackers had been neutralized and the valley was safe for the time being. Once combat had ended, we took some time to loot the dead enemies for anything valuable while the harpies tended to their wounds. Apparently, the valley was a manifest zone that had healing properties. Any injuries the harpies sustained during the fighting were lessened due to its effects. While we were looting, one of the harpies reported that they had found the amulet and returned it to the charger. That set us all at ease and allowed us a moment of repose. It would’ve been a shame to come all that way just to lose it. After going through everything, we each got 25gp and 20sp from the looted coins. I also snatched a flask of Alchemist Fire for myself which I got from the gnoll leader.</p><p>When the battlefield was picked clean, we returned to the harpy camp to help out wherever we were needed. Off to the side, I saw Cloth and Mieno talking and him giving her a token to remember us by. I couldn’t remember what it was exactly, but he mentioned it to us after they were done talking. I mostly spent the downtime to myself, sitting in my tent as I once again tended to my guns. I gave them a good cleaning and inspection to make sure they were in tip-top shape. The rest of the day was rather uneventful and we spent it amongst the harpies at their camp. Mieno said we could spend the night there, but come morning, we were no longer allowed to stay and she was going to lead us out of the valley.</p><p>The next day, we regrouped after waking up and had a brief breakfast. After we were done, Mieno came over to talk to us. She also presented us a gift from her and her people for saving them. It was a necklace, I think, and Cloth accepted it on the group’s behalf. Before she left us to get ready to leave, she explained that we weren’t allowed to share the location of the valley with anyone. We were permitted to visit in the future but weren’t allowed to bring outsiders with us. Layla had been making maps and documenting the area in her notes, but she promised to keep it all to herself. Cloth wanted to destroy everything to be sure, but he relented in the end and allowed her to keep it all. Mieno gave us a nod in confidence and left to organize our escort to lead us away from the mountains.</p><p>While we were packing up our things, Layla retrieved the charged amulet and safeguarded it in her pack. Once we were ready, we thanked Mieno for all her kindness then followed her escorts to the valley exit. The escorts led us back underground through a cave where we traveled for roughly three days. Nothing exciting or notable happened. It was just a bunch of walking through the darkness in the vast cave system. Eventually, we made it out of the mountains and bid farewell to the harpy escorts.</p><p> </p><p>#</p><p> </p><p>As the harpies left to return back home, we looked on and were met with the brisk cold of the mountain air. I immediately shivered and longed for the temperate weather of the valley. We all looked to each other and prepared ourselves for the long trek back to civilization. It took around two days of hiking before we arrived at our destination, a small town called Ardev. That was where the caravan that Lhara had arranged for us was supposed to depart from.</p><p>Upon entering the village, we decided to look around a bit before arranging for a caravan to take us back to Sharn. We wandered over to the general store and decided to browse its merchandise. I wasn’t looking for anything in particular at first, but then I remembered Lhara. I was supposed to find her a souvenir from our trip. I mostly spent my time at the shop looking for something suitable for her. I still didn’t know her all that well, but I figured she’d like something useful or pragmatic. I then saw that the shop offered engravings on items and inquired about a knife. The owner said they had small pocketknives they could do and I picked one out for Lhara. It was a simple folding knife and I had them engrave her name on the wooden handle. The knife itself cost me a couple gold coins and the engraving was three silver coins.</p><p>While I waited for him to finish it up, I continued to look around for anything interesting. I then happened to see a nice-looking scarf around a display mannequin’s neck. The owner said it was made from high-quality mink fur. It was rather cold outside and winter was coming, so I decided to splurge a little and bought that as well. It cost 25gp, but it was well worth it. When I wrapped it around my neck, it felt super soft and didn’t smell at all. Once the shopkeeper was done with Lhara’s knife, I paid for it along with scarf.</p><p>The others had moved on to the shop next door by then, so I met them there. It was some sort of farming equipment vendor and I didn’t have much interest in the goods sold there. After that, we all went to the tavern before checking-in at the caravan gathering point. While we were there, the group noticed a bunch of people gambling off to the side. There was an old man there and he seemed to have lost all his money. Cloth took pity on the poor fellow and decided to help him out. He sat down at the gambling table and placed a bet on the game they were playing. I can’t remember which game they were playing and I wasn’t much of a gambler, so I just stood there and watched. Cloth ended up winning what the old man lost plus a bit of extra, giving it all back to him. The guy was very thankful and left with his newfound earnings in tow. After that little diversion, we hung around a bit longer then decided to head out.</p><p>We made our way to the caravan office and arranged our ride back to Sharn. We told them we were with the Clifftop Adventurers Guild and worked for Lhara. The person there confirmed the arrangements and said he had a chartered carriage ready for us to go. We thanked him and promptly boarded the caravan.</p><p>It was more or less a relaxing ride and nothing bad happened to us along the way. It was a bit cramped, but at least I got to just sit and rest instead of walking more. I was beat and didn’t want to do any more long stretches of walking for a while. Halfway through the trip, we stopped at a major trading town that we were passing through. It was called Galethspyre and it was well known for its textiles and lumber mills. Since it was a major trading post, we wanted to look around to see if there was anything worth buying. We asked the carriage driver to let us make a quick stop and he eventually gave in as long as we didn’t take too long.</p><p>Once the carriage stopped, we got off and went about looking around the town. The place smelled of lumber and the chemicals used in making dyes for clothing. There were also a lot of blue-colored fabrics and textiles hung around and displayed. The particular color of blue that was most prominent was “Breland Blue” which was a lighter shade of blue. Made sense since we were in Breland after all. I wasn’t looking for anything in particular, so I just followed along with the others. After taking a brief moment to browse around the marketplace, we ended up not finding much and returned to the carriage.</p><p>After departing from Galethspyre, we continued on down the road back to Sharn. As we were approaching the final stretch back home, we passed by a large number of people walking in the opposite direction on the road. From the looks of it, they appeared to be Cyran refugees on the march to find somewhere to call home. Seeing my fellow countrymen like that made me feel uneasy, so I mostly kept to myself in the carriage and didn’t pay them any attention. Cloth, on the other hand, wanted to get out and talk to them. He had the carriage stop and got off, heading over to the refugees. He talked with them and offered any help he could provide. He gave them a bunch of food to include the deer and other meat we got while traveling in the mountains. I reckoned we no longer needed the meat since we were heading back to the city, so it didn’t bother me when he gave it all away without consulting the rest of us. After doing all he could, he got back on the carriage and we continued on.</p><p>It was night by the time we got back to Sharn. Once we came to a stop within the city, I tipped the driver a couple copper coins. Asmundr had to one-up me and tipped a gold coin which was a bit much in my opinion, but whatever. Since it was a bit late to do business, we decided to just go home then meet up at the guild in the morning. I walked with Layla back to the apartment and went straight to bed. I hadn’t shot anything since last cleaning the guns, so I didn’t need to worry about that before heading to sleep.</p><p> </p><p>#</p><p> </p><p>Waking up the next day, I got ready and went with Layla to meet up with the others at the guild. It was raining out which was kind of a drag, but my hat and duster kept me dry enough. I didn’t bother wearing my scarf to prevent it from getting ruined, so I just kept it in my bag until it stopped raining. Once we were all together again, we made our way to Lhara’s office to report in.</p><p>Before we told her all about how the mission went, I gave Lhara her souvenir. She seemed to like it which was good and happily accepted it. After that, we got down to business and handed over the fully-charged amulet, or at least, we hoped it was fully-charged. The others explained how the mission went up until we found the harpy enclave. We left that part out and just said that we were able to charge the stone without any trouble. Lhara seemed to believe us for the most part and congratulated us on a job well done. Then a bit of a snag happened that soured the group’s mood.</p><p>When Lhara gave us our reward, the pouches were a touch lighter than what we thought they would be. When we inquired her about it, she explained that we were also supposed to provide her with mapping data of the entire area for the full amount. Since the map she gave us ended at the hidden cave entrance, she wanted a complete map of the area for future expeditions. Hearing that, we were at an impasse. We couldn’t give her the map data as it would’ve exposed the location of the harpies; however, if we didn’t, we wouldn’t get the rest of our reward. Personally, I didn’t care for the rest of the gold since we already had a good amount. I also didn’t want to give away the harpy enclave’s location since they were kind to us. Some of the others had different opinions on the matter.</p><p>Cloth and Asmundr were particularly annoyed that the mention of map data wasn’t fully explained at the beginning of it all. They continually hounded Lhara and got on her case for it, wanting the rest of the reward money despite not having anything to give her. I wanted to speak up and defuse the situation, but I was outnumbered. Lhara didn’t deserve all the heat she was getting. She was just the middleman and acting on the provost’s behest. Because of that, she suggested that we take the matter directly to him. After some negotiations, she managed to give us each 225gp, which was more than she was originally going to give us but less than the full amount of 300gp.</p><p>After leaving Lhara’s office, the others decided to confront the provost about the issue of payment, but they wanted to do it the next day. Cloth and Asmundr wanted to plan their “attack” first, sort of speak. I just shrugged and went along with it. I didn’t want to garner a bad reputation for myself with my employers, so I didn’t bother directly arguing the issue. The pay was good and the work was steady. However, if someone else was going to do it for me, I didn’t mind the extra bit of coin if they happened to succeed. After talking, the others decided to do their own thing in the meantime, so I left the guild to go off on my own.</p><p>I was relieved to be back in the city again. Since I had some free time, I decided to take care of some personal errands first before indulging a little. First, I went to my ammunition supplier and restocked on metal cartridges. I fired off quite a few rounds in the fight against the gnolls and goblins, so I was running a bit low. After that, I went back to the apartment to unpack and sort out my gear. I spent an hour or so just organizing my room and hanging around while the rain continued to pour outside.</p><p>Once the rain started to let up, I decided to head back out and visit a bathhouse. The nice, warm waters were a welcomed feeling after spending all the time hiking out in the cold of the mountains. After that, I decided to go get a nice massage at my favorite establishment. I was becoming more of a regular there so the staff recognized me and asked if I wanted the usual. Hearing that made me smile slightly; I was beginning to feel more at home in the city. I thoroughly enjoyed the hour-long, full-body massage and near fell asleep right there and then on the table. After that, I thanked the staff and went to go grab something to eat. The rest of the day was uneventful and I went to bed once it got late.</p><p> </p><p>#</p><p> </p><p>The next day, we all met back at the Clifftop Adventurers Guild to confront the provost. It was still dark out and raining which gave off a sort of foreboding feel to it. Cloth and Asmundr had their plan ready and Layla and I just tagged along to see how it went. Their plan involved a lot of subtle magic and I just hoped it didn’t backfire on them. That wouldn’t have looked good on us. It also could’ve potentially reflected badly on me since I was part of said group. When they were ready, they marched into the provost’s office and began their “negotiations”.</p><p>Cloth and Asmundr took the lead and began talking with the provost, explaining the situation for them being there and why they were disrupting him so suddenly. Things were going well and it seemed to be going in their favor. Another facet of their plan was to hand over some fake maps that Layla created. She kept them vague enough that whoever looked at it wouldn’t be able to find the valley where the harpies lived. After some serious back and forth, the provost eventually agreed to pay us the rest of the gold plus a little extra. In total, we each got 75gp and 5pp as a bonus for our efforts. Once everything was said and done, we all thanked the provost for his time and left his office. On the way out, we passed by Lhara. The others didn’t pay her any mind, but I looked to her and quietly apologized for their behavior. She gave me a slight smile and said it was all right.</p>
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<a name="section0012"><h2>12. Urgent Tasking</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>After taking care of guild business, we wanted to see if we could get another job lined up. Lady Elaydren then came to mind and we wondered if she had anything for us to do. Her jobs were well-paying and it didn’t hurt to build up good relations with a member of House Cannith. Remembering what she told us the last time we saw her, we headed on down to the House Sivis message station in Barmen Tower.</p><p>Everything was going fine until we came upon the front entrance to the building. The door was bashed open and barely on its hinges. We drew our weapons and readied ourselves for whatever lay inside. We didn’t hear any signs of a struggle but remained alert in the event that there were still hostiles around. Upon carefully making our way inside, we found the place in complete disarray and silent, save for the rain. We didn’t immediately see anyone around, so we continued further inside, seeing papers strewn about and other items scattered around the ground.</p><p>We then found an injured female gnome laying on the floor. She was wearing a message center uniform, so we assumed she was one of the staff there. Layla and the others rushed to her aid and tended to her wounds. After coming to, the gnome thanked us and said she was in-charge of the message center. When we asked her what happened, she explained that the center was attacked by a cloaked man accompanied by a gang of kobolds. They were looking for a message, one that was meant for us. Threatened with her life, she had no choice but to hand over the message to them. Unfortunately, that meant that it was erased from her memory, which was a House Sivis security measure that was put in place for customer privacy. She did manage to tell us who the message was from which was Lady Elaydren.</p><p>While we were talking with employee, Cloth looked around for clues and noticed a familiar footprint on a loose sheet of paper on the floor. It was that of a warforged and it wasn’t his. We hypothesized that the cloaked man might’ve been a warforged. With that in mind, along with everything else that the gnome had shared with us, we decided to head out and investigate. We made sure the gnome was all right then called for someone to alert the guards. Once things were taken care of, we made our way to House Cannith to see Lady Elaydren and find out what was going on.</p><p>Part of the way there, we were suddenly intercepted by an owl carrying a message intended for us. Fortunately, the rain had died down, so the message the owl had didn’t get ruined. Cloth took the message and read it aloud for us after the owl made its way back home. It was from Lady Elaydren and it said to meet her at the Broken Anvil Tavern. Concerned, we changed course and made our way there to see what she had to say.</p><p>When we got there and entered the tavern, we noticed a lone woman sitting at a table. Even though she was wearing commoner street clothes, we assumed that was Lady Elaydren. Cloth looked to the few patrons there and the bartender, telling them to vacate the area immediately. They were a bit reluctant, but Cloth persuaded them to leave in his own way. Once the tavern was empty except for us and the lone woman, we approached her at the table and sat down. In addition to her plain clothes, the woman had dirt smudged on her face in order to blend in better with the crowd, but despite all that, we still recognized her as Lady Elaydren.</p><p>Lady Elaydren was about to begin explaining everything to us until the door to the tavern was smashed down. We jumped out of our seats and looked to the entrance as a cloaked figure and four kobolds came bursting in. We told Lady Elaydren to stay back and to leave the fighting to us. With her safely behind us, we leapt into action and engaged them head-on. The kobolds were easy enough, but the cloaked figure was indeed a warforged and his name was Cutlass, a follower of the Lord of Blades. In the end, we came out on top and defeated him.</p><p>Almost immediately after the battle was over, Lady Elaydren came over to us and gave us a backpack of supplies. She said that it wasn’t safe to be in the city and to get out while we still could. Everything that we needed to know was written in a letter in the bag along with an array of supplies. I wanted to heed her warning and leave, but some of the cockier members in our group basically told her to relax and that we were going to be fine. She gave us a wary look and told us to be careful before swiftly leaving the tavern to seek safety elsewhere.</p><p>After Lady Elaydren was gone, the others shrugged off her warning and opened up the bag to read the letter. I guess they felt we were able to handle any ambush or foe who happened to be after us. Asmundr took the letter and read it aloud for the rest of us to hear. In short, Lady Elaydren wanted us to find the second schema for her, since we did a good job finding and recovering the first one. The path to get the second, however, was much longer and more arduous than the first one was.</p><p>To start things off, we had to leave Breland and head all the way to Rhukaan Draal, the capital city of Darguun. From there, we had to traverse through the Bloody Market, a place notoriously known for violence and criminal activity, and find an individual named Failen. He was a loose associate of Lady Elaydren’s, and he was tasked with transporting us from Rhukaan Draal to a place called Rose Quarry. There, we were supposed to locate the remains of an old House Cannith outpost that was supposedly in the town. Inside said outpost, we were to retrieve particular documents that held the location of a secret place called Whitehearth, a House Cannith facility. That was where the schema was located. And to top it all off, Rose Quarry was located right next to the Mournland and Whitehearth was rumored to be located within it in Old Cyre.</p><p>Everything was fine and I was cool with the plan until we used a map to trace out the route. Upon realizing we were being sent into the Mournland, I nearly just walked out right there and then. I had extreme reservations about traveling anywhere near the edge of the Mournland, let alone actually going inside it. I immediately voiced my opposition to going into the Mournland, stating the potential dangers and risks of traveling through it.</p><p>My compatriots didn’t share the same fear and experience I had with the Mournland, so they opted to go ahead with the job anyway. They then reminded me that if I didn’t go along with them, I wouldn’t get a share of the reward at the end. Hearing that, I gritted my teeth and said I’d accompany them to at least Rose Quarry. Anything after that was uncertain. They accepted that answer and rolled up the letter.</p><p>They also reached into the bag to see what else Lady Elaydren had set aside for us. The bag itself was magical, a Handy Haversack in fact. On the outside, it looked like a normal backpack, but on the inside, it was able hold a lot more than one would think. It was like a Bag of Holding, except it held less and had differing magical properties. Among the supplies Lady Elaydren had given us, they included: arrows in a quiver, crossbow bolts in a quiver, lots of silk rope, bedrolls for us all, waterskins filled with drinking water, 15-days’ worth of rations for the lot of us, a healing kit, flint &amp; steel, and a variety of other items. We also each got a hefty amount of coins to buy anything else we might’ve needed for the mission. I received 300gp and 20pp as did everyone else.</p><p>After going over the letter and supplies in the bag, we discussed what we were going to do next. The majority of the party weren’t in any rush to get the job done and Lady Elaydren didn’t really give us a timeline either. Judging from all the travel and stops we had to make, we figured it was going to at least take longer than a week or so. Because of that, the others, specifically Cloth and Layla, wanted to take care of some things in the city first before embarking on another long journey. The two of them had arranged for an archery competition to occur in about a week’s time, and they were participants in it. Since we didn’t know how long the Mournland mission was going to take, we decided to put it off for now, at least, until lady Elaydren said otherwise. Once we made sure we were all on the same page, we dispersed to take care of things on our own.</p><p>I left the tavern by myself and decided to spend some of that supply money on a few things. I went to the market and picked up a few items to include: a small steel mirror, a vial of perfume for potential future use, a magnet, a sack for carrying excess loot or whatever, and a spool of string. I also topped off on ammunition while I was there.</p><p> </p><p>#</p><p> </p><p>For the next few days, nothing of interest happened. Even though Lady Elaydren seemed like we were being followed or were under constant threat of attack, nothing occurred. We weren’t attacked and we didn’t see anyone following us or being suspicious. We just went about our normal daily lives. I mainly spent that time lazing about the apartment and meandering about the city.</p><p>When the archery competition that Cloth and Layla were participating in was to occur, I headed on over to spectate and cheer on my fellow teammates. It was being held at a fletcher shop owned by a man named Shmoogly. Apparently, Cloth and Layla had both bought bows from him, and to help pay off Layla’s, they organized the competition to help advertise his wares and bring attention to his shop.</p><p>The competition was pretty straightforward and was organized into two rounds. The first round included all participants, and the archer who shot the most accurately and accumulated the most points was the victor. The winner of that round moved on to the finals where they competed against a celebrity archer, a very skilled shooter from the Shadow Marshes. Prizes went out to the first- and second-place archers of the initial round, regardless of if they defeated the celebrity or not; that was more so a bonus round.</p><p>As the competitors were warming up and preparing for the contest, I found a nice spot in the crowd to watch and cheer them on. In addition to Cloth and Layla, there were two other archers shooting for the prizes. There was a member from the city guard whose name was Derrick and our journalist friend that we met in Hatheril, Ada. She had gotten accustomed to her new prosthetic and wanted to test her mettle with it.</p><p>When everyone was ready, the competitors lined up on the shooting line and prepared for the start of the contest. Shmoogly took to the stage that was set up off to the side there and said a few words. He thanked everyone for attending and such before introducing all of the archers in his competition. I cheered as he introduced Cloth and Layla, naturally. After that, he introduced the guest celebrity archer and allowed him to say a thing or two to rile up the competition.</p><p>Once the signal was given to begin, the archers took turns shooting at their assigned targets. The targets they were shooting at were circles with inner rings that got smaller as they got closer to the center. They were marked on large sheets of paper attached to bales of hay. Unfortunately, I can’t remember how far they were away from the archers or how many points each ring were worth.</p><p>It was fun to watch them shoot with their bows and arrows, but I’d take my revolvers over a bow any day. Cloth was using a heavy-duty composite bow while Layla had a longbow, I think. It was funny to watch Cloth go because he drew his bow with such strength and power. Whenever he loosed an arrow, it went right through the target and disappeared into the bale of hay, shooting out the back. Thankfully, no one was harmed or killed even, at least, to our knowledge anyway. At the conclusion of the first round, Layla ended up winning and taking first place. Cloth got second followed by Ada then the city guard in last place.</p><p>Since Layla won, she got to go against the celebrity archer in the final round. It was close but surprisingly, she managed to even defeat him. I clapped and cheered as the competition was concluded and the competitors lined up to receive their prizes. Layla got a fancy combat sight for her bow while Cloth got 500gp and a freezing arrow. Unfortunately, Ada and the city guard didn’t receive anything, but they didn’t seem to mind. After Layla had received her prize from Shmoogly, the celebrity came over to congratulate her as well, shaking her hand and impressed by her skill with the bow. Because of that, he graciously gave her his personal quiver which was enchanted. It was able to hold numerous arrows, much more than a non-enchanted one, and had other magical properties to it.</p><p>Once the formalities of the completion were over with, I went over to personally congratulate Layla and Cloth on their performance. They mingled and socialized with the crowd for a bit before we all moved on to do something else. We checked out some of the vendors in the immediate area but didn’t find much. Interestingly enough though, we eventually found ourselves in front of another fletcher shop whose owner was named Moogly. It was quite the coincidence and when we asked him about his name, he said he was Shmoogly’s brother-in-law and didn’t particularly like him. Once we heard that, we decided not to linger around too long to prevent from being perceived as disloyal to Shmoogly’s brand. After quickly looking through his wares, we left his shop to find a place to sit and talk about our next mission.</p><p>We found a secluded spot at a nearby café and sat down at an empty table, ordering some drinks and a few snacks to indulge in while we talked. Just as we were about to start discussing things, I heard a startling voice in my head. It sounded like a woman’s voice and she seemed to be in a panic, asking for help to anyone that was listening. As I tried to figure out what that was, I noticed that the others looked puzzled as well. I asked them if they heard something just then and they said yes; though, they weren’t able to determine where it came from. It was almost as if it was all in our head. And it wasn’t just us. People around us at the café were also looking around in a confused manner, almost as if they had heard the voice as well. After the brief cry for help, we didn’t hear it anymore, so we just shrugged it off. If it was anything serious, the city guard was surely going to take care of it. The voice in our head didn’t come back, so we resumed with our business.</p><p>To finish preparing for our potentially long and grueling mission, we all agreed to meet in two weeks’ time in Sterngate, a city within the nation of Zilargo to the east. There was a Clifftop Adventurers Guild house there and that was our meeting place. From there, we were going to proceed together to Rhukaan Draal via caravan. We had the option to either travel to Sterngate together or in pairs, but ultimately it was up to us. Some of the others had things to take care of, so they were going to travel by themselves. I asked Layla what her plans were and she said she was okay finding her own way there. That was fine with me, since I had some things to take care of as well and didn’t want to make her wait for me or vice versa. The two-week timeframe also allowed us to travel there at our leisure, going on foot or by caravan if we didn’t want to shell out for a lightning-rail ticket. I didn’t feel like walking, so I planned to just bite-the-bullet and pay for a lightning-rail ticket. So once we had everything settled, we left and went our separate ways.</p><p> </p><p>#</p><p> </p><p>During the next couple of weeks, I took care of some personal business in preparation for the upcoming mission. I was still on the fence about whether I was going to accompany the others into the Mournland, though at the time, I was still leaning more towards not doing it. Like I had said before to the others, I was going to make my final decision when we got to Rose Quarry.</p><p>The first order of business was to get the sights of my revolvers adjusted. There was only so much I was able to do with my tools on-hand and no workbench. To fully maintain my guns, I needed my workbench and equipment, but they were unfortunately stuck at my home in the Mournland which made things difficult. Thankfully, though, I knew just the person who could help and his name was Markus. He was the guy whom I got my ammunition from and he had extensive experience with firearms, almost as much as my mom did. He had a workshop complete with everything a gunslinger needed to properly take care of their firearms.</p><p>I paid Markus a visit one day and asked if he could help me out. I wanted him to readjust the sights on both my revolvers and give them a thorough cleaning. Since he wasn’t busy at the time, he happily obliged. He said that he hadn’t worked on firearms in a while and was anxious to reacquaint himself with them. I was nervous at first with letting him work on my prized possessions, but he later told me that he used to be an expert during the war. Since I was a regular customer and we had talked on occasion, he felt that I was trustworthy enough to share his secret with.</p><p>Markus was also from Cyre and was a leading expert in firearms tinkering at the time. The fact that he was from Cyre was known only to a select few, including myself, and he didn’t need the unwanted attention. Sadly, he didn’t have any guns of his own because of that. He didn’t want to live in fear of getting into trouble and having them confiscated by the Brelish authorities. Hearing his story put me at ease. It was nice talking with a fellow Cyran, especially one who was so knowledgeable in guns.</p><p>While Markus told his story, I watched him skillfully go about his work. He started off with a thorough cleaning of both my revolvers. After just a few moments of closely inspecting my guns, he was able to expertly disassembly them and prepare them for cleaning. He then used sand and water to get all the grit and debris out of the barrels and cylinders, using a variety of brushes and tools to aid in the endeavor. After the cleaning was over with, he dried all the parts and effortlessly reassembled the guns. Once they were back in one piece, he took some time to adjust the sights. Without firing a single shot, he assured me that they were perfectly calibrated and handed them back to me. If they weren’t, he said to return to him and he’d adjust them right there on the spot. He even said he’d throw in some extra cartridges free of charge, though, he was confident in his work.</p><p>I kindly thanked him and compensated him for his hard work. Dread and Despair (my revolvers) looked almost brand-new. I just hoped they fired as well as he claimed they would. To test them out, I bought some extra ammunition before leaving and went to the Clifftop Adventurers Guild to practice at their range. It was mostly meant for members who used bows and crossbows, but it worked perfectly fine for guns as well.</p><p>When I got there, I said hello to a few of the members who greeted me as I made my way over to the practice range. Even though I had practiced there before, they still weren’t used to the loud sounds my gun made when I fired, so a crowd began to form as I began shooting. After I took position at one of the vacant stalls, I drew my gun and aimed at the target in front of me. It was about ten feet away which was normally a bit far for my guns, but for me, an experienced gunslinger, it was easy. I took aim with Dread and pulled the trigger, landing a clean bullseye on the target. The sights were indeed calibrated superbly, so I had to once again give Markus my thanks the next time I visited his shop.</p><p>As I was firing off shot after shot, one of the members who was practicing with a crossbow came by to see how I was doing. He was a veteran member who was impressed with my exotic weapons and how well I was shooting. He then gave me some pointers about shooting despite us wielding very different weapons. I humored him and listened to what he had to say. Some of it actually made some sense and I thanked him for sharing his tips with me.</p><p>While I was shooting, I began thinking and wondered if Markus had any gadgets or attachments that could aid me in my shooting. Surely with all the experience he had, he was able to fashion something that could help me become a better shooter. I finished off the remainder of the rounds I had set aside for practice then left the guild, heading back to his shop once more.</p><p>As I entered Markus’ humble shop, he was surprised to see me back so soon and wondered if the sights were not to my liking. I put him at ease and told him how well my aim was thanks to his calibrations. I then asked him if he had anything that could help me in other ways while I shot, specifically any attachments or gadgets. Markus took a brief moment to think then shook his head, saying he hadn’t made anything like that since the war and currently wasn’t able to. Even if he could, he didn’t have any blueprints or guns to work with. Though he couldn’t help me personally, he did, however, mention going to a House Cannith forge and possibly asking them for help. I was skeptical about that and wondered if they could be trusted. He then reassured me that they could, reminding me that House Cannith was mostly based out of Cyre. They also supplied Cyre with warforged and other weapons during the war, so there was at least that. I gave it some thought and decided to give it a shot. I thanked Markus for the suggestion then left to find a House Cannith forge.</p><p>There were a few House Cannith forges in Sharn, so I just made my way to the nearest one. I entered the building and looked around for someone who could help me. I was then approached by a House Cannith representative and I asked how he could be of assistance. I told him I was looking for items related to firearms and if they had anything to offer. Even though they made and sold all sorts of items, weapons, and armor, they unfortunately didn’t have anything directly related to guns and the like.</p><p>The representative then thought a bit harder and offered me something called a Beneficial Bandolier. It was a magical item that was used to store only ammunition and a select few other items. It worked like a Bag of Holding or Handy Haversack, meaning it was able to hold a lot more than its physical appearance let on. It also had a few more nifty magical traits that he went on to explain. It weighed only a certain amount and wouldn’t increase in weight despite how much was stored in it. It also had a special ability to magically load a single round at a time into one of my guns by just uttering a special word or phrase.</p><p>I was intrigued and asked how much such an item cost. He gave me a straight answer and said it cost 1,000gp. After I heard that, I winced as that seemed a bit too pricey for me at the time. I tried to come up with a way to haggle the price down then suddenly, an idea came to mind. I asked him if he had ever seen a gun, let alone saw how it worked and was put together. When he said no, I smirked and pulled out one of my guns in a non-threatening fashion. I told him that in exchange for lowering the price, I’d show him how it worked and even disassemble and reassemble it while he watched. He could even take notes if he wanted. Deep down inside, I was a bit hesitant to even suggest that, but mom never told me I couldn’t share her design with anyone. At least, I don’t member her saying I couldn’t. Besides, he worked for House Cannith, and they were Cyre’s ally during the war. They could be trusted… couldn’t they?</p><p>After hearing my offer, the representative’s eyes sparkled as he was more than willing to agree to my terms. In exchange for reducing the price to 750gp, I went ahead and did everything I said I would. It took a bit longer than I expected because he wanted to be as thorough as he could and take detailed notes, but it was worth it in the end. I got my Beneficial Bandolier and he got his notes. In hindsight, it was probably not the best of ideas and I probably could have gotten a lot more from that deal, but oh well. Once I had finished my business there, I went on home to mess around with my new item and see how it worked.</p><p> </p><p>#</p><p> </p><p>When it was time to depart from Sharn, I made sure I had everything I needed before leaving. I was stocked up on ammunition and supplies, my guns were cleaned and calibrated, and I had my new gear with me. I was ready to go. I bought myself a lightning-rail ticket and started making my way to Sterngate. I just got myself a standard ticket and rode in coach. There was no need to spend extra coin if I didn’t have to, though, I did miss First-Class.</p><p>After a long, boring train ride, I finally arrived in Sterngate. I had no idea if any of the others were there already, so I just had to find out for myself. I asked around and eventually found my way to the Clifftop Adventurers Guild hall that was located there. I went in and looked around while I waited for everyone to get there. Once everyone had arrived and we were all back together, we took some time to catch up on things. It was still just me, Layla, Cloth, Asmundr and his companion, Vermundr; there was still no sign of Lost.</p><p>During the two weeks before meeting up again, Cloth had sold a relic of his and made a substantial amount of coin. Since we were his teammates and we all fought together as a close-knit unit, he shared the profit with us. I received a share of 2,750gp and was more than happy to accept it. I made sure to thank him for sharing his profit with me. It covered the cost of my supplies and even the Beneficial Bandolier, leaving some coin to spare as well.</p><p>When everyone was ready to go, we chartered a ride via caravan and began our trip to Rhukaan Draal. We were told it was going to take roughly 12 days to get through the mountain pass and into the city, so we strapped in and prepared for the dull journey. For the first few days, nothing exciting happened and I was stuck on the carriage trying not to die of boredom. If I thought lightning-rail rides were bad, traveling by carriage with a group was much worse. At least on the lightning-rail, you could get up and walk between cars, but with the caravan, there was no such option or alternative. I mean, one could just get out and walk alongside the carriage, but that wasn’t much better.</p><p>Anyway, around the fourth day of travel or so, we noticed something a bit suspicious. We spotted a large group high above just over the peaks of the canyon walls. We were only able to catch brief glimpses of them from time to time, but we were sure they were following us. They were keeping their distance for the moment, and the carriage driver said the area was known as a hot-spot for ambushes and attacks. We heeded his word and remained prepared for a fight if need be.</p><p>The next few days were draining and I was beginning to cramp up from being constantly on alert. Being ready for combat at a moment’s notice and for such a prolonged period of time was tiring work, but it all paid off in the end. Around the seventh day, the group that was shadowing us finally decided to act. The group ambushed us and came barreling down the cliff sides right for the caravan. The enemy force was mainly composed of bugbears and goblins and appeared to be a part of a larger faction. Some of them were carrying banners with symbols signifying a clan or something.</p><p>At the first sign of combat, the carriage stopped and we all got out to set up a defensive perimeter around it. Since we had been itching for a fight for so long, we made quick work of the advancing foe. We took out all but one goblin who surprisingly managed to escape despite being wounded by one of Layla’s arrows. Once we had successfully fended of the attack and looted the dead, we continued onward. A little bit down the road a ways, we found the goblin who escaped earlier. It had died of its wounds and was just lying there in the middle of the road. We didn’t pay it any attention and just passed it by without a second thought.</p><p>After what seemed like forever, we finally caught sight of our destination in the distance, the capital city of Rhukaan Draal. When the caravan finally stopped at the drop-off point, we all got off and stretched our legs. It felt good to finally walk around freely again. When we were ready, we headed out and made our way towards the Bloody Market, keeping wary of potential threats around our surroundings. The area had an infamous reputation and we didn’t feel like experiencing it firsthand.</p><p>Now, we weren’t sure how to exactly find the person named Failen that the letter mentioned. We didn’t know what he looked like since Lady Elaydren failed to describe the person. While we were walking along, Cloth just grabbed a random goblin passing by and lifted it into the air to meet his gaze, asking it where we could find Failen- as if that’d actually work. The goblin was immediately intimidated by what was happening to him and blurted out the first thing that came to mind. It directed us towards the local tavern, an establishment called the Clenched Fist. Cloth then let it go before it ran off in fear for its life.</p><p>I just shook my head at Cloth and continued with the others in the tavern’s direction. When we got there, we entered and looked around. All of a sudden, Layla began shouting out Failen’s name to see if anyone responded to it. I just groaned to myself and watched as she went about garnering everyone’s attention towards us. Layla then noticed a man sitting in a corner of the tavern by himself and went over to him, asking if he was Failen. Much to our surprise, his name was indeed Failen.</p><p>We all gathered around the man and began asking him questions to confirm his identity as the one we were looking for. He was a man of few words and had an odd accent. We then found out that he spoke better Goblin, so Cloth took over and began speaking to him in that language. Unfortunately, that meant that those of us who didn’t speak Goblin couldn’t follow along with the conversation. They continued to talk and at the end, Cloth filled us in on what they were talking about. Failen wanted 60gp from each of us for his services, but Cloth managed to negotiate the price down to 50gp. After we all paid his fee, we followed him out of the tavern to where his mode of transportation was.</p><p>Along the way there, we were ambushed by a group of ruffians consisting of goblins and bugbears. Among them was the goblin that Cloth had rudely picked up and interrogated before. Surprisingly, they weren’t there for us and instead had quarrel with Failen. It didn’t matter what their problem was; Failen was ours, so we engaged the group in order to defend him. It didn’t take long and we killed most of them; the goblin we met before escaped. We took a moment to loot the bodies and we each got five gold coins as a cut. Once all that was taken care of, we continued on with Failen at the lead.</p><p>When we asked Failen what that was all about, he was rather mute on the subject. He did, however, mention that the trip to Rose Quarry was going to take roughly 3.5 days by elemental landcart. None of us were familiar with what that was, so he explained that it was his special form of transportation. An earth elemental powered the vehicle and he used his dragonmark to control it. It was like House Orien’s lightning-rail or House Lyrandar’s airships in that regard.</p><p>After walking a bit further, we came to where Failen’s landcart was, but we couldn’t see it anywhere. Failen gave us all a shrewd look then used his dragonmark to summon it out of a large boulder nearby. He hid his landcart to prevent it from being stolen, not that anyone else was able to use except him in the first place. Once it was ready, we all piled on and waited for Failen to make the landcart move.</p><p>It was a rather smooth ride for something made almost entirely of stone. I settled in with the others and did my best not to die of boredom. Three and a half days of travel on that thing was going to be rough.</p><p> </p><p>#</p><p> </p><p>Eventually, after an excruciatingly boring journey, we saw the border to the Mournland far off in the distance. Rose Quarry was located near the border and that was where we were headed. The three or so days had given me time to think about whether I was going to join the others in journeying into the Mournland or not. As we got closer to the ruined town, we saw smoke in the distance despite it being night out already. We hung back and held our position towards the outskirts of the settlement. We told Failen to let us off and stay with the landcart while we scouted ahead. Something wasn’t right and in case there were hostiles around, we didn’t want to risk losing the cart.</p><p>After doing a quick sweep of the area, we discovered that there was a large camp down the road complete with tents and a large bonfire. There were armed soldiers all around there wearing the uniforms and emblems of the Emerald Claw, a military group based in Karrnath. They looked to be searching for something based on all the excavation and other equipment there. It couldn’t have been a coincidence that they also happened to be there looking for something like we were.</p><p>During our search of the area, we also spotted what appeared to be the House Cannith outpost, or at least, what remained of it. The documents we were searching for had to be there, so we just had to hope the Emerald Claw hadn’t gotten to them first. Unfortunately, there were Emerald Claw members still roaming about and it was dark out. We didn’t have a total number of enemy combatants, so we had to play it safe.</p><p>To help our chances of success, Asmundr and Vermundr were going to split off from the group to cause a distraction at the enemy’s camp. Meanwhile, the rest of us were going to sneak our way through the ruins and enter the House Cannith outpost. After making sure we were all on the same page, we set out to accomplish our objective. Layla, Cloth, and I kept to the shadows and crept our way through the ruins. When we were in position, we waited until Asmundr and Vermundr began their attack. Soon enough, chaos broke out at the Emerald Claw camp as an enlarged Vermundr began running amok. It seemed that Asmundr had used a spell to make him bigger which only added to the distraction effort.</p><p>While the Emerald Claw soldiers were busy with Vermundr, Asmundr made his way back around and rendezvoused with us. We then proceeded into the ruins together and quietly dispatched a couple of zombies along the way. The undead and the act of employing them in combat were things that Karrnath were infamously known for. We carefully entered the building and kept our head on a swivel. There were light and sounds of mining coming from further into the structure.</p><p>We were about to proceed onwards until we heard the telltale sounds of a zombie shambling our way. We swiftly split up and ducked into the adjacent side rooms to hide and let it pass us by. Since we weren’t sure if it had seen us or not, Cloth and Asmundr jumped out and grabbed it into the room with them before stabbing it to death, or- redeath?</p><p>Anyway, once the coast was clear, we redirected our attention to the room at the end of the hall. We only heard two voices coming from within, so we thought maybe we could lure them to us and take them out like we had with the zombie. I called out to them and feigned being a fellow Emerald Claw member, but it didn’t work. Needless to say, I’m a horrible actor and it ended up failing miserably. The two miners caught on to the ambush and attacked us head-on, but they weren’t much of a match for us. The commotion didn’t alert the other enemies at the camp either, so that was good. A zombie did come by to aid the miners, however, but I took care of it with a single shot to the head.</p><p>Once the fighting was over with, we quickly searched around the ruins but didn’t find anything resembling important documents. Looking back on things, we weren’t sure what the Emerald Claw guys with the pickaxes were doing. Since we couldn’t find anything in the ruins, we decided to just take on the main Emerald Claw force at their camp. If they had the documents already, we were going to have to fight them soon or later, so we figured we might as well while we had the element of surprise.</p><p>We left the House Cannith ruins and began making our way down the road towards the camp. Cloth and the others were rather cocky, walking right down the middle of the road towards the enemy. I, on the other hand, kept more towards the shadows and used the ruins as cover. As the main group got closer, they began their assault and stirred the hornet’s nest. The camp was in disarray after Vermundr’s attack with some of the tents set ablaze. The remnants of the Emerald Claw consisted of seven or so hostiles to include their leader.</p><p>During the battle, I noticed a couple of ranged enemies in the rear that were causing the others some trouble, so I went around the flank them from behind. I almost had them, but they noticed me at the last second. One of them saw my shadow from the bonfire and spotted me. One of them was a magic user and cast some sort of spell on me. I all of a sudden felt tired and weak, but I was still able to aim and fire my guns without too much trouble. In the end, we managed to finish off the Emerald Claw and secured the camp.</p><p>Per usual by that point, we began looting the dead bodies for anything valuable or useful. We also kept an eye out for any House Cannith documents that they might’ve had. During the looting, we gathered a bunch of pickaxes, several sunrods, and a bunch of other supplies to be kept or sold later. Cloth also mentioned burning the dead soldiers since the Emerald Claw were big on necromancy after all. We took some time and piled all the dead on the bonfire after looting them clean. After going through the camp, we found nothing resembling what we were looking for or anything that mentioned the location of Whitehearth. Figuring that we were missing something, we decided to double-back and check out the outpost again for something that we might’ve missed. On the way, Cloth wanted to check out the church across the street from it.</p><p>The church was empty and in a severe state of disrepair. While we were looking around, Layla found some sort of chalice embedded into the ground. Upon a closer look, we discovered that there was a layer of glass all around the floor. The glass enveloped almost all of Rose Quarry, a potential side-effect of a battle or accident during the war. After some digging, Layla managed to dig out the chalice and ended up giving it to Cloth. Cloth looked it over and determined it was some sort of artifact or something. After giving the church a look, we headed on over back to the House Cannith outpost.</p><p>Upon our second arrival, we noticed some odd statues and fireplaces in the backroom where the two Emerald Claw people were mining. There was also a strange map of Khorvaire on the floor with certain locations marked but not labeled.  Everything in the room seemed suspicious, so we took a closer look around. Behind the statues, we found some writing and phrases written there. I can’t remember the specifics, but I determined that it was some sort of encrypted code or puzzle to hide the locations of key House Cannith facilities. I remembered seeing a similar form of encryption during my spy days. Eventually, we were able to decipher the code and got the sites of several House Cannith locations to include our primary objective- Whitehearth. With the location written down, we headed back to the Emerald Claw camp to gather up all our loot up.</p><p>We gathered all the loot together and divvied it out fairly. I ended up getting 49sp, 151gp, 26pp, five black onyx gemstones, and a masterwork dagger with the symbol of Vol engraved on the hilt. The dagger belonged to the Emerald Claw leader and it wasn’t half bad, so I figured it’d make a nice trophy to my collection. Once the juicy loot was taken care of, we began gathering up all the mundane supplies onto the cart the Emerald Claw had there. We loaded it up and prepared to make our way back to Failen’s position.</p><p>As we were about to begin heading back to the landcart, we were confronted by a mysterious individual. He was alone and introduced himself as the real leader of the Emerald Claw contingent. He was skinny and pale-looking, almost sort of like... a vampire. We couldn’t find out for sure because as soon as we tried to capture the individual, he avoided our attempt and escaped. After some verbal confrontation, the mysterious individual deployed some mist and seemingly disappeared. Layla fired blindly into the mist and must’ve nicked him with her arrow. As the mist dissipated, she found a blood trail and attempted to track it, but it eventually ran into a dead end.</p><p>Since the mysterious person was gone, and there was nothing we could do about it, we gathered our gear and began making our way back to Failen. We left the cart full of the looted gear at the camp for now. It was much too heavy to move it on our own, so we met back up with Failen and had him bring his landcart over to the Emerald Claw camp. The plan was to set up camp there and rest before making our entry into the Mournland. When we got back to the camp, we looked around and figured it was a better idea to take refuge in the old House Cannith ruins instead; it was too exposed outside in the open. While we went to spend the night in the ruins, Failen parked his landcart off to the side and hid it. Instead of coming with us, he decided to stay with his vehicle and rest there. Before we left, we used some of the ruined Emerald Claw tents and covered our loot cart with it. We also put debris and other stuff around it to further mask its image.</p><p>The night was rather quiet and I had a hard time getting to sleep. I told the others I’d give them my decision about accompanying them in the morning. They talked to me and tried to convince me right there on the spot, but I told them I wanted to sleep on it. As I laid on my bedroll, all I could think about was my last experience with the Mournland and how I terrified I was. But things were different that time. That time, I had others with me to keep me safe.</p>
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<a name="section0013"><h2>13. Return to the Nightmare</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>When morning finally came around, we all got up and had a quick breakfast. I told everyone that I had decided to join them and they were delighted to hear that. Once we were all ready, we went over to Failen and told him we were about to head out. Some of the others tried to persuade him into taking us into the Mournland using his landcart, but Failen remained firm in his stance against it. He told us that he was contracted by Lady Elaydren to take us to Rose Quarry and no further. Even when we offered to pay him, he wouldn’t budge and refused. Since he wasn’t obligated to help us out, we persuaded him to at least stick around for three days until we got back. If we hadn’t returned by then, he was going to leave without us. According to the map, the distance to Whitehearth wasn’t that far, so three days seemed like a reasonable amount of time; however, it was the Mournland we were talking about, so nothing was ever simply that straightforward.</p><p>After dealing with Failen, the others and I gathered ourselves and started heading towards the border, much to my displeasure. I felt a chill run down my spine as we got closer and closer to the ominous wall of mist. It was as if the mist was being controlled or somehow knew to just stop there and never advance any further. It was creepy. I kept myself positioned between Cloth and Vermundr, the two biggest members of our party. It made me feel safe it gave me the courage to continue on. Without them, I would have never even considered going back in.</p><p>Before we crossed the threshold, I lit a torch since I knew it was going to be dark and hard to see in the Mournland. I held it up in one hand and had a revolver at the ready in the other. As we were about to head into the mist, I prepared for the worst and nearly held my breath. It was like walking into a nightmare as flashbacks of my last excursion came into my mind. My left eye burned as if it remembered what happened to it the last time. I nearly aborted and ran back to Rose Quarry, but I got a hold of myself and continued on.</p><p>The initial trek into the Mournland was subdued for the most part, at least, until we suddenly found ourselves momentarily separated. We weren’t sure how it happened, but we figured that it was due in part to the lack of visibility and the magical nature of the area. To prevent that from happening again, we tied ourselves together using rope.</p><p>Later on, the mist began to thin, but only slightly. In the distance, someone noticed some sort of creature trying to blend in with its surroundings. They watched it and figured that it was lying in wait to ambush us as we passed. Since we had gotten sight of it beforehand, we decided to just go around it instead of trying our luck and fighting it. We successfully avoided the ambush and continued on our way.</p><p>After walking a bit more, we arrived at a large battlefield with dead bodies scattered about as far as the eye could see. Most of them were Cyran and Brelish soldiers, but upon closer inspection, we also noticed halflings from the Talenta Plains and elves from Valenar. The strange thing about the bodies, though, was that they seemed freshly deceased, meaning that they hadn’t decomposed yet. Someone decided to touch one of the bodies and reported that they still felt warm to the touch, which was unsettling to say the least. That was impossible as the war ended years ago. After thinking it over, we figured the Mournland had some kind of magical preservation effect on the dead. I didn’t pay it much attention and minded my step as we walked. It pained me to see so many fellow Cyran brothers and sisters lying all around me. I happened to see Layla looting some of the dead as we went along, so I firmly told her not to loot the Cyran soldiers. Everyone else was fair game, but I couldn’t let her disrespect my comrades-in-arms by pillaging their corpses for a few measly coins.</p><p>As we were walking through the field of bodies, we caught sight of a battle happening in the distance. We took cover and looked on as two individuals were engaged in combat against a giant crab monster. Cloth volunteered to scout ahead and get a closer look in case they were people who needed our help. The rest of us hung back and waited for his report, though, we were in no way prepared for what he had to say.</p><p>When Cloth returned to us after scouting, he said he thought he saw Lost amongst the pair. We asked if he was sure, but he wasn’t completely sure. Some of us were skeptical if that was really Lost out there and figured it was probably the Mournland playing an illusion on us. Since Cloth didn’t want to take any chances, he rushed out to help the duo without us fully knowing if it was really Lost or not.</p><p>I watched from afar as Cloth fought alongside the pair against the giant crab. The crab got the upper-hand and downed the unidentified individuals and severely injured Cloth. As a last ditch effort, Cloth grabbed one of the downed persons and ran back to us while Layla covered his retreat using her bow. She fired a couple of smoke arrows at the crab which allowed Cloth to recover one of the bodies on his way back. Once he had regrouped with us, we retreated further back and found a place to hide to recompose ourselves.</p><p>We were all surprised to see that the person Cloth had recovered was in fact Lost, or at least, someone who looked like him. We had been tricked before, so we weren’t about to let our guard down for another potential imposter, especially in a place like the Mournland. After Cloth healed up the best he could, he tended to Lost’s wounds and got him conscious again. Once he was cognizant of his surroundings, we immediately began drilling with him questions to see if he was the real Lost or not. After some intense interrogation, he was finally able to convince us that he was the real Lost. He successfully answered what Layla’s favorite color was and the backstory about how I got my guns, which I had told him at one point during one of our conversations.</p><p>I welcomed Lost back to the group and was glad to see that he was still alive. It made me feel guilty about wanting to not aid him in his fight against the crab. I just wanted to continue on our mission and ignore it, thinking it was just another Mournland illusion. We had a strict time limit and I didn’t want to risk not making it back on time or getting killed.</p><p>After we made sure it was the real Lost, we asked where he’d been all that time and why he abandoned us in Hatheril. He gave us a confused look and said we were the ones to abandon him, but none of us remembered. He went on to tell us that he had an urgent mission he had to attend to and needed our help. Since we had business in Hatheril still, we declined to give him aid, which was something I didn’t think I would do. Unfortunately, the mind-altering effects of the False Hydra wiped all that from our memories, so we told him all about our adventure with that. Once we were all caught up with where we had all been, we got back to the current issue at hand.</p><p>Lost said he was traveling with a companion on a mission that took them into the Mournland a few weeks back. They had been traversing all around the dreaded landscape since then. The companion he was with was his cousin, a person named Caliburn, and he was still knocked unconscious back where the giant crab was. He wanted us to help him recover him, alive preferably but his corpse if the worst came to pass. He also wanted to get his primary weapon which was also left behind during Cloth’s speedy withdrawal.</p><p>Once everyone was healed up and prepared to fight, we went with Lost back to where we had just fled from. We approached with caution as the giant crab could’ve been still around. Luckily, it had wandered off which allowed us to quickly recover Caliburn and Lost’s glaive. Just as we had gotten to them, we saw suspicious mounds of bodies begin to move and rise up. We figured there were more giant crabs lurking around, so we made haste and vacated the area before more enemies appeared on the scene.</p><p>After finding a safe spot to rest at, the others stabilized Caliburn and got him back on his feet. He thanked us for saving him and returned to his mission alone. Lost elected to stay with us and figured Caliburn was going to be okay on his own. We took a few more moments to collect ourselves and prepare for the rest of the journey. While we were sitting around, Layla remembered she had gotten us all patches and handed one to each of us. It had our group logo which consisted of a stylized letter “A” and “V” in a gold color. I thanked her for it and stashed it away to be sewn onto my leather duster at a future time. After we were ready to go and Caliburn had departed, we all continued on our way to Whitehearth together.</p><p>Along the way, Layla continued to loot the dead and I reminded her to stay clear of anyone wearing a Cyran uniform. After she had her fill of looting, she handed each of us 4pp, 8gp, and 50sp. While we were walking along through the battlefield, I had flashbacks to during my time in the war. I wasn’t sure how long I had spaced out for, but it was probably for only a few moments. I was still walking in front of Vermundr and behind Cloth, so that was good.</p><p>We finally exited the field of bodies but came across something equally as strange ahead of us. There were odd-looking trees situated around a pyramid-like structure. From where we were, it appeared that the trees were made of flesh or something. It was awfully grotesque and I didn’t want to get any closer if I didn’t have to. The pyramid was in a clearing and besides the flesh trees, there was nothing else visibly around.</p><p>While we were looking on from a distance, a ghostly blue figure emerged from the pyramid. It had a humanoid silhouette and a feminine figure. It then looked in our direction and began floating towards us but stopped despite wanting to continue further. As it remained where it was, it called out to us asking for help. I didn’t trust it and wanted to go around to avoid any potential calamity. I know I said the same thing about Lost, but that was a highly fortuitous circumstance. After that, we weren’t missing any more people, so who else could it have been? Asmundr also didn’t feel comfortable risking our lives for some unknown person and a strange one at that. The two of us wanted to complete the mission we were tasked with as quickly as possible. Then, if we had time to spare on the return trip, we could help out. The others didn’t share our cautious nature and decided to help out the blue specter anyway.</p><p>Cloth, Lost, and Layla ventured forth towards the blue ghost while Asmundr, Vermundr, and I stayed on a hilltop overlooking the scene. To not draw attention to ourselves, Asmundr had Vermundr disguise himself as a boulder while he just laid on top of him, pretending to be a corpse. I just gave them a troubled look and hid behind another rock, keeping my eye on the others down below.</p><p>Cloth and the others talked with the ghost then proceeded to follow it inside the pyramid. They were gone for a good few minutes or so and I began to get worried that they had gotten into some sort of trouble. Not before too long, thankfully, the three of them returned unharmed and were accompanied by a fourth. I was not prepared for the story they had in store for me, and I was barely able to comprehend it all.</p><p>The stranger they returned with was the same blue ghost from earlier. Her name was Jessalyn, or Jess for short, and had green skin and red hair. The others saved her from her imprisonment after some investigation around the interior of the pyramid. Jess somehow managed to astro-project herself but couldn’t go a certain distance away from the pyramid, which turned out to be part of some sort of space-faring ship. That was when things began to get weird and complicated. Jess was some sort of engineer onboard the ship and was the only survivor from when it crashed into the Mournland. Before it became a wreck on the ground, it traversed through space amongst the stars. She came from a far-away place called the Galactic Federation where space travel was more or less common place. She was part of the crew onboard the F.S.S. Beagle and there were many ships like hers from where she came from. Her attire was also odd and very technical in nature. She was wearing a full-body suit and had a helmet that covered her entire head. The suit was made from some sort of leathery material, but it wasn’t leather. There was also a lot of metal plating that I guessed acted as some sort of armor.</p><p>After everything was explained to the best of her ability, Jess decided to accompany us. She figured the best way to survive the new, hostile world she was in was to do so in a group. We had no qualms with it, so we allowed her to come along, though, we did explain the dangers ahead of us. She said it was fine as long as we got out of the Mournland eventually. It was better than being stuck on her wrecked ship for the rest of her life. Once we had all introduced ourselves formally to our new companion, we continued on.</p><p>Eventually, after traveling for a bit longer, we arrived at the place the map designated, but it wasn’t what we had expected. There was an old mine shaft up ahead and we were questioning whether that was the right place or not. As we were checking the map again, we were attacked by an undead vulture. We quickly took care of it and secured the area for any more hostiles. It remained quiet after that, so we decided to take a look around. While we were doing so, we found a sign above the entrance to the mine which said “Whitehearth”. Seeing that, there was no question that we were indeed in the right place. After finding nothing of note outside, we carefully ventured into the mine to see if there was anything else.</p><p>Upon entering the cave, we didn’t find anything that resembled an old House Cannith outpost. It was just a cave, or at least, that was what we thought. After a closer examination of the cave’s floor, we found two metal panels with symbols and colors on them. It was some sort of puzzle, and after dealing with the one in Rose Quarry, it wasn’t much of a surprise. Taking a closer look at it, we noticed that one of the colors matched a key we were given inside the pack Lady Elaydren had given us. We took out the key and placed it to the corresponding color. Just as we did, a secret hatch opened up.</p><p>After opening it up fully, we peered down into its depths and saw nothing but a pitch-black darkness. I tossed my torch into the breach with the hopes of illuminating it, but it just seemingly disappeared after a certain point. Cloth was undeterred and volunteered to go down first. He jumped in and disappeared into the darkness. We then heard a thud followed by his voice saying that it was clear. Hearing that it was safe, we each began descending one by one into the hatch. When it was my turn, I took hold of the ladder and began climbing down. I was a bit apprehensive as my body neared the blackness, but once I passed through the threshold, it was completely fine on the other side. My torch was on the ground flickering and everyone who went before me were there. It seemed that there was some sort of magic or spell at work that prevented anyone from peering into the hatch. Once I was at the bottom, I picked up the torch and snuffed the flame as I waited for everyone else to come on down. There was enough light down there to see comfortably, so I didn’t need my torch anymore.</p><p>Once we were all down in the cramped corridor, we looked ahead to see where we were at. It seemed to be some sort of hidden underground facility. We carefully ventured forth and entered a small room with no doors and a pedestal in the center. The pedestal had a panel with similar symbols and colors to the ones up above in the mine. We took the blue key from earlier and touched it to one of the corresponding colors on the panel (top right). Just as we did, the room shifted and moved as it rotated to reveal a door to us. There was only one door available, so we decided to see what was on the other side.</p><p>The close-quarters fighters took to the front while I stayed more towards the back with Layla and the new girl, Jess. We proceeded with caution and opened the door, slowly making our way through. Inside the room, we were attacked by a fire elemental. It was a tough fight since the melee guys had to be careful when fighting in close-proximity to it. The heat it gave off damaged their weapons due to prolonged exposure. It was rough for me too because I didn’t want to fire my guns; the space we were in was too enclosed and the noise would’ve definitely made some ears ring, including my own. Fortunately, we managed to defeat it before things got ugly and someone lost a weapon.</p><p>Inside the room we were in, we found a small living quarters and latrine. Lost checked the latrine and found another key similar to the one we had, except it had a brown color to it. We also found a curious pool of water there. It was clear and cool to the touch. After giving it a closer look, someone determined that it was an enchanted pool that was constantly replenished with purified water. I wanted to take a dip in it right away, but Vermundr beat me to it. He sank right in and just waded there while everyone else continued to look around. Once we had looked around enough, we returned to the central rotating room with the new key in tow.</p><p>Looking at the panel, we used the brown key to unlock the next area (bottom center). The next area that we came upon was some sort of dining area and kitchen. We proceeded with caution and found several bodies in a similar condition to those on the surface. They appeared to be dead but hadn’t decomposed in the slightest. There weren’t any enemies around as far as we could tell, so we began spreading out more. After making sure the area was safe, we began examining the area.</p><p>Lost and Asmundr checked the bodies and noticed that they had House Cannith insignias on their garments. They went through their pockets and managed to gather several blue keys and a few brown ones. We each took a blue key since there were plenty to go around.</p><p>While I was looking around in the kitchen, I found several sets of clean, unused utensils. They were House Cannith quality, meaning they were expertly made using good materials. Since they weren’t being used, I snagged a set for myself to use in the apartment. It came complete with a fork, spoon, and knife.</p><p>Elsewhere, Cloth found a curious box while exploring the kitchen with me. It was pretty big, around the size of a small wardrobe or so. After examining it closer, he determined it was enchanted to change the temperature or flavor of whatever was put into it, namely food and drink. He wanted to take it with him, but it was much too big and cumbersome, so we left alone for the time being. Once we were done looking around, we returned to the central room since there was no way forward from where we were.</p><p>The next option on the panel we chose was the top center one, which required the brown key again. The room rotated and revealed a corridor with a door at the end. When we approached the door, it was locked and needed a key with a color we didn’t have. Asmundr tried to pick the lock but failed. Since we couldn’t open the door, we went back to the main room and tried a different path.</p><p>We looked to the panel and tried the blue key, opting to go for the middle right option. That time, we ended up in some sort of magical washroom. There were linens seemingly moving around and washing themselves. After some magical detection, we determined that there were invisible servants there made from magic and forced to clean linens. There was just a never-ending stream of linens being cleaned and folded. I looked off to the side and found a pile of dry, clean linens just sitting there. Asmundr told us not to disturb the servants, but I wanted some of those bedsheets for the apartment. I discretely took a set of bedsheets as well as some pillow cases. They were nice and soft and made of high-quality fabrics. I expected nothing less of House Cannith, especially at a high-end, secret facility. I wanted to take a few more things, but Asmundr gave me a look as if to say not to. I just scowled and heeded his word, staying my hand from taking anything else.</p><p>Since there was nothing else of note to the washroom, we tried something else after returning to the main hub. Using the blue key again, we tried the top left option which rotate the room once more. There was a long corridor that branched off into an open door, an archway, and another door made of sturdy metal. Seeing no immediate threats, we continued into onward into the corridor.</p><p>As we were deciding where to go, two large wolves came out from the open door and we immediately readied ourselves for combat. Suddenly, a third wolf appeared but then something unexpected happened. It began talking to us and introduced herself as Rorsa who was a dire wolf. She then signaled to the other two wolves to leave us alone and return into the room. Seeing that the wolves meant us no harm, we lowered our weapons and began talking with Rorsa, first asking how she was able to talk to us.</p><p>Rorsa explained that she had become Awoken around the same time that the Mourning happened. She was the only one in her pack to attain sentience and had been looking after the other wolves since then. Before continuing with the conversation, she invited us into her room. She seemed trustworthy enough, so we followed her inside.</p><p>At first, we were off put by the other two wolves feasting on one of the dead bodies lying on the floor there, but then Rorsa explained it all. The bodies there used to be her and the other wolves’ handlers. They treated the wolves well and they were on good terms with them. Unfortunately when the Mourning happened, the handlers died off. In order to survive, Rorsa and the other wolves had to sustain themselves on the bodies since they were trapped inside the facility. The magical properties of the Mournland regenerated the bodies and after a while, it was as if the wolves had never bit into them. Even though Rorsa was Awoken, she was still limited by her physical body and couldn’t use the keys to open doors. She had a blue and green key looped on a necklace around her neck.</p><p>After Rorsa was done telling her story, she allowed us to look around and take whatever we needed. Ignoring the bodies for now, we saw rows of bunks and other basic pieces of furniture. Near each bunk, there was a footlocker that contained a random assortment of items. We dug around through them and picked up miscellaneous things like basic armor, weapons, and clothing. In terms of coins, we each got 6gp and 16sp.</p><p>We talked a bit more with Rorsa and agreed to help free the rest of her kin and escape the facility. In return, she gave us the green key around her neck so we could continue exploring the underground facility. We still hadn’t found what we were looking for, and we were running out of places to look. The key might’ve been just what we needed to get to the part of the facility that had the schema Lady Elaydren wanted.</p><p>When we were ready to go, Rorsa joined us and we went over to the closed, metal door across the hall. It needed the green key, so we used the key Rorsa gave us and opened it up. Upon opening the door, we found a fancy living quarters that seemed to belong to someone very important. The person who lived there had to have been a high-ranking official or perhaps even the leader of the entire facility itself. We quickly checked for enemies then went about exploring.</p><p>Immediately, the weapon display on one of the walls caught my eye and drew me over to it. They were no ordinary weapons and were instead finely crafted and ornamented. There was a longsword and some other weapon hanging there, but large, melee weapons weren’t my thing. There weren’t any knives or daggers, unfortunately, so I just settled for the shortsword. The sword was ornately detailed and of House Cannith quality, much like the other weapons there. I unsheathed the sword and gave it a once-over. The blade was pristine and shined brightly in the room’s light. I gave it a swing or two, making sure not to hit anyone near me before sheathing it and stashing it in my pack. I figured it’d make a nice back-up weapon in case I ever ran out of ammunition.</p><p>While I was inspecting my new sword, the others found some interesting items as well. Asmundr found a sack of platinum coins in a chest and shared it with the group, giving each of us five of them. He also found a red key amongst the chest’s contents. There was a fancy bed in the room and it looked comfortable to lay on, but before I could get the chance, Asmundr stripped the linens off of it to take with him. After that, I didn’t feel like laying on a plain mattress with no comfy sheets on it, so I just moved on. Once we were done taking what we wanted from the room, we returned to the central hub to use our new keys.</p><p>There were two options that needed the green key, so we just chose one at random and went with the lower right one. After the room was done shifting, we saw another corridor and went down it. At the end, we ended up in another hub-like room similar to the previous one. There was a panel in the center of the room with colored indentations in it. We didn’t feel like trying that room’s options yet, so we returned to the original hub room and tried the lower left option using the green key.</p><p>Rorsa sensed the rest of her kin nearby, so we continued to follow her down the corridor that was revealed to us. We began to hear lots of dog or wolf sounds ahead of us, so we prepared ourselves just in case Rorsa’s kin weren’t too friendly towards us. As we turned the corner, we were confronted by two wolves, but they weren’t Rorsa’s kin. They weren’t normal-looking either and had stone embedded into them. It was black and glossy, resembling obsidian in a way. The wolves bared their teeth which were also made of sharpened, black stone. Rorsa prepared for a fight, so we backed her up and helped defeat the two wolf abominations. Once they had been taken care of, we proceeded on down the hallway and arrived at a kennel.</p><p>Inside the kennel area, we saw several normal-looking wolves being kept in cages. Rorsa identified them as her kin and all of them still seemed to be feral. She assured us they wouldn’t attack us, so we went to each cage and set the wolves free. While Rorsa was reuniting with her fellow wolves, the rest of us took a few moments to look around and see what was worth looting.</p><p>Cloth went into one of the cages and noticed something special about the food and water bowls there. He wondered how the wolves had survived in isolated captivity for so long. He checked the bowls and discovered that the food perpetually refilled itself after being eaten or poured out of the bowl. It was the same for the water bowl as well. He went around and gathered up five of each bowl to bring back with him. What he wanted to do with them, though, I had no idea. Maybe he just wanted to sell them or something. In addition to the bowls, we also found an orange key in a pile of rubbish.</p><p>After Rorsa had reunited with her pack, we talked with her and said we’d finish helping her and her kin escape the facility once we were done with our objective. After we had recovered the schema, we’d come back and get her before leaving. She gave us a nod and said she was going to take her pack back to the room where we first met. That was where she and her wolves were going to remain until we came for her. She decided to stay with her pack a bit longer in the kennel while we returned to the main rotator room.</p><p>From there, we took the blue key and tried the middle left option on the center panel. A long hallway opened up to us and at the end of it was another door. The door was locked, but it only needed the blue key to open. We unlocked it and entered, stepping into a small library or large office of sorts. There were shelves of books and papers lining the walls with a desk situated in the middle of the room. We began spreading out and looked around.</p><p>I took some books off the shelves at random and opened them up to see their contents. There was nothing of interest in any of the ones I picked up; they just seemed to be full of clerical records and accounting information. I was hoping for some super-secret information on House Cannith projects or other things, but nope. All I got were boring books full of numbers and useless lists. I kept flipping through books with an ounce of hope, but I kept getting disappointed. One after another, I just tossed the books that bored me over my shoulder onto the floor. Eventually, I got tired of looking through the books and went over to the desk to see if I could find anything. Looking through it, I didn’t find anything too interesting either. In the end, I just settled for a nice House Cannith quill as a souvenir.</p><p>Before leaving the office, Cloth and some of the others decided to have a little harmless, destructive fun. Cloth went over to one of the book shelves and pushed it over, causing a domino-effect with the adjacent shelves. They toppled over and caused a big mess all over the place. I just rolled my eyes at the wanton act of needless destruction and left the room.</p><p>By that point, we were all getting tired and wanted to just rest and get some sleep. We couldn’t tell what time of day it was, but we had been traveling for a long time and hadn’t slept since entering the Mournland. Thinking of places to rest, we settled on the fancy living quarters we had found earlier. We made our way back there and got comfortable inside the room, taking some time to eat some rations and tend to any wounds we had. Since we were the only ladies around, Layla, Jess, and I shared the luxuriously large bed there, even if the linens were no longer available. There was more than enough room to accommodate the three of us comfortably. The others had to resort to using their bedrolls and slept on the floor.</p><p> </p><p>#</p><p> </p><p>The next day, I awoke feeling sore and tired, as if I hadn’t gotten a wink of sleep. As I was waking up, I looked around and noticed that I wasn’t the only one feeling that way. It seemed that sleeping in the Mournland had adverse side-effects, regardless of where you were within it. I felt absolutely horrible, but since Cloth was feeling okay, he decided to help me out. He took his Scroll of Lesser Restoration and used it on me, fully removing my magically-induced fatigue. Immediately after that, I began to feel much better and thanked him for that. He also poured each of us a glass of his goodberry wine to help us wake up and feel better. Since he was a warforged, he wasn’t affected as badly. After a quick breakfast, we all got up and continued on from where we had left off the day before.</p><p>From the main hub room, we used the green key and chose the lower right option which led to another hub room. The hallways were quiet and when we arrived at the second panel, we chose the option using the new orange key. The room rotated like the previous one and a passageway leading downwards opened up to us. We carefully made our way down and ended up at a locked door needing a yellow key to get by. Since we didn’t currently have the required key, we returned to the hub room and tried something else.</p><p>Looking at the panel, we decided to try our luck with the lower right option using the green key. Once the room was done moving, we found another passageway that led downwards. We traveled down the length of the corridor and were stopped by a set of closed adamantine doors. There was a lot of heat coming from behind the doors and the closer we got, the hotter it became. There was something suspicious going on, so we prepared to defend ourselves. We suspected more fire elementals about, so we readied our weapons while remaining cautious.</p><p>Since we were in close quarters, I holstered my guns and drew my new shortsword. I wasn’t that good at fighting with it, but it was better than blowing out everyone’s eardrums with gunfire. I stayed behind the more seasoned melee fighters and kept the pointy end of my weapon from accidentally sticking anyone. Cloth was at the lead since the heat didn’t bother him too much. He checked the doors and noticed that they weren’t locked. He carefully opened them up and peeked his head inside. Immediately, he spotted three fire elementals wandering about within and relayed it back to us. Along with the elementals, he saw that the room was an old forge with eldritch-looking machinery near the center.</p><p>To prepare for the fight, Asmundr de-summoned Vermundr and replaced him with an unnamed water elemental. Once everyone was ready, they burst into the room and engaged the fire elementals. It was much too hot for my tastes, so I remained outside the room in the hallway. I just watched the fight unfold and figured the others were able to handle it on their own. I also didn’t feel like potentially losing my new, fancy sword by having it melted by one of the fire elementals.</p><p>It took longer than I expected, but eventually the fire elementals were snuffed out. It was still much too hot for me to enter the room, so I left the looting and searching around to the others. Most of the group went over to the large, monolithic machine in the center of the room which caught their attention. It resembled a three-headed hydra made completely out of metal. Lost recognized it from an old legend he had once read in a book. The hydra was supposed to be some sort of old forge. They figured the schema we were looking for had to be around there somewhere, so they began searching for it.</p><p>While they were looking around the room, Jess used her expertise in engineering to figure out how to vent some of the heat out of the room. She inspected the controls on an old panel and managed to open up the dome ceiling to let heat escape from the forge below. It wasn’t as hot as it was before, but it was still pretty uncomfortable.</p><p>The heat was beginning to take its toll on the others, so they hurried up their efforts in order to get out of there as quickly as they could. Cloth found a crystalline chest and took it back into the hallway where I was to inspect it. The others followed him out of the scorching room, and we all gathered around the curious find. Since the chest was crystalline, it was transparent and we were able to see its contents without opening it up.</p><p>As we peered inside the chest, we saw a curious item that looked like it could’ve been the schema we came all that way for. Unfortunately, we couldn’t open the chest to verify it properly because it was secured with a hefty, intricate lock. We didn’t want to break into it and risk damaging the schema or the chest itself, so we just held onto the whole thing for now. Cloth stashed it away in his Bag of Holding for us until we found a safe place to unlock it. Since there was nothing else to see in the forge area, we left and went back to the main hub room to finish off any remaining areas we hadn’t been to yet.</p><p>Gathering around the central panel, we looked at our choices and used the brown key to take the top middle one path. The room then revealed a small hallway with a locked door at the end. We approached the door and tried to see which key it required, but we couldn’t find a colored key slot. Cloth and Asmundr then decided to try force to get the door open. They used acid, Alchemist Fire, then plain brute force finally to get it open. It took roughly half an hour to get it open and in the end, it wasn’t worth the effort, time, and resources spent. It turned out that we had broken into a supply closet full of mundane items, things like basic clothes, non-perishable food, and cleaning supplies. We gave everything a brief glance then returned to the main rotating room. There wasn’t much, if anything, worth taking back with us.</p><p>There was only one last option we hadn’t tried and it required an orange key. Since we had one in our possession, we used it and the room rotated once more. That time, we saw another hallway with another door at the end. The door, like the last one, was locked, but we at least saw that it needed a yellow key. Unfortunately, we didn’t have the yellow key, so the others decided to bust through that one as well instead of looking for it.</p><p>It didn’t take as long as the last door, and Cloth and Asmundr eventually got it open. Unlike last time, we didn’t bother wasting any of our valuable resources to do so. Inside, we found an odd room full of mirrors and very bright lights. It was almost blinding as I struggled to keep my eye open enough to see where I was walking. We made our way into the room and began looking around. While we were there, we were attacked by some colorful light creature. It was very disorienting and I barely remember the encounter. We managed to defeat whatever it was and continued further into the room. At the other side, Lost found a door and opened it up.</p><p>The room we found seemed to be some sort of scrying room based on the hologram of the large forge room we were just in earlier. We didn’t find any bodies or signs of anyone having been there recently, so to our knowledge, we weren’t being spied on at the moment. While we were looking around the room, we found a map of the facility on one of the walls and gathered around it. We mapped out the places we had been and those we had yet to venture into. It turned out that we had more or less been everywhere within the facility that we could access. There were a couple rooms we hadn’t been to, but from the looks of the map, it wasn’t worth going there. After we examined the map, we planned our route back to the facility entrance. Before making our way to the entrance, Cloth stopped by the dining area and kitchen to retrieve the magic temperature/flavor box. It was a bit awkward for him to get it into his magical bag, but he somehow managed.</p><p>On the way out, we stopped by Rorsa’s room and had her and her pack follow us to the entrance. While we were in the hallway that led back into the mine, we had to stop and think about how we were going to get a whole pack of wolves up a ladder. They couldn’t climb it themselves, so they needed our help. They were much too heavy to carry on our backs and it’d take too long to rig some sort of rope and pulley system to hoist them up. Someone then had the bright idea of using the Bags of Holding we had to transport the wolves. We emptied the contents of one bag into someone else’s before stuffing as many wolves as we could into the empty bag. After that, we climbed up and let them out before they suffocated. They had plenty of air in the bag to sustain them during the few moments one of us climbed up to get them out of the facility. We repeated the process until all of the wolves were safely up and out of the bunker.</p><p>Once all the wolves had been successfully evacuated, we climbed on up and closed the hatch to the facility. I was beginning to feel comfortable down there and didn’t look forward to walking around outside. At least in the bunker, things were clean-er and less unpredictable than outside. Together with the wolf pack, we made our way through the mine and back into the Mournland. To our surprise, we weren’t alone once we exited the cave.</p><p>Coming out back into the open, we were confronted by a familiar face. The individual from Rose Quarry whom we assumed was a vampire had returned, and he had brought with him another small contingent of Emerald Claw soldiers, which included a necromancer. The vampire told us to hand over the schema and whatever else we had found in the facility, but of course we were disinclined to acquiesce his request. Seeing that there was no way forward without using force, we drew our weapons and attacked. Rorsa and her wolf pack came to our aid and fought alongside us against the Emerald Claw. After a brief skirmish, we managed to dispatch all the Emerald Claw guys except for the vampire, who again miraculously eluded us and escaped.</p><p>We secured the area around the entrance to the cave and made sure there were no more enemies lurking about. Once things were under control, Cloth suggested we pile up the dead and burn them like last time. Even though we had seen that bodies didn’t decay due to some odd magical effect, he wanted to burn them anyway because they were Emerald Claw and deserved it. We took some time and looted the bodies before piling them up and setting them ablaze.</p><p>Amongst the things found on the bodies were sets of fake identification papers used to cross borders. We had found similar sets of papers on the Emerald Claw members in Rose Quarry. Cloth had collected them all along with the real identification papers found on the bodies. He was going to hand them over to some authorities once we got back to Sharn. In addition to the papers, we found a modest amount of coins and I received a cut of 6gp.</p><p>After taking care of the bodies, we began our trip back to Rose Quarry through the Mournland. Rorsa thanked us once again for getting her and her kin out of Whitehearth. They accompanied us along the journey to escape the Mournland and begin life anew outside the mist. Like before, we tied a rope around ourselves to prevent from being separated. The wolves stayed close and walked beside us in a tight grouping. Remembering his Monster Compass that he had from Hatheril, Asmundr pulled it out and kept an eye on in to indicate if danger was close.</p><p>During the duration of our journey, we continued to encounter strange and odd phenomena. The first thing we witnessed was an odd cloud surrounding Cloth. We later discovered that it was a swarm of mosquitos that were feeding off of him, but he hardly noticed. After briefly feasting on him for a few moments, the cloud of bugs left him alone and flew off up into the sky. Shortly after disappearing, it began to rain some sort of magenta-colored liquid. Cloth immediately recognized the substance as warforged blood, or “life juice” as he called it. It continued to rain and I was soaked in the hot, magenta liquid. It was rather demoralizing, but that wasn’t the worst of it.</p><p>Later on during our trip, Lost called out to us from the back of the group and we stopped to come to his aid. When we found him, he was nearly a puddle on the ground and was barely recognizable. It appeared that the Mournland had changed him unbeknownst to him and he had become liquefied. Luckily, the effect was permanent and only lasted a couple of weeks, but at the time, we didn’t know that. We didn’t have a container for him to stay in, but fortunately, if he constantly concentrated hard enough, he was able to keep his solid form; however, if he began to lose concentration, he reverted back into a liquid form. That was potentially dangerous if he was knocked out and lost consciousness or fell into a crack or something like that. Lost wasn’t the only one affected by some sort of Mournland ailment unfortunately.</p><p>Around the same time that Lost was liquefied, earning him the nickname “Goopy”, I too discovered that I had been affected by some sort of ailment as well. I suddenly felt itchy and when I went to scratch the itch, I noticed that I had changed physically. My skin felt hard and scaly and when I pulled up my sleeve, I saw reptilian scales. A chill ran down my spine as I cringed at the sight. I checked my other arm and it was the same. I looked around to the others and they hadn’t noticed my change yet. I began to get nervous and was unsure of how to go about the situation. Was it contagious? Was it life-threatening? I had no way of knowing, so I finally told them about my condition. They were just as confused as I was and did their best to uncover what it was. After failing to diagnose Lost and myself, the others said they’d help us seek help once we got back to Sharn. I just hoped it didn’t get any worse.</p><p>Continuing on, we found a small field with mutant-looking deer grazing in it. We watched from a distance and were hesitant about approaching, but then something happened that cemented our decision to bypass the field and go around. As we were watching the deer, some giant bees came buzzing in and swooped down, snatching one of the deer and flying off with it. It was rather disturbing, so we steered clear of the field and found another way around it.</p><p>During the detour around the field, we came across some unsteady and squishy terrain. Upon closer inspection, we saw that it was made of flesh and was seemingly alive, or something. It was unnerving to set foot on it, and we did our best to hurry across it to more traditional, solid ground. Sooner or later, we returned to solid footing which was a relief. By then, we were almost to the edge of the Mournland, so we pressed on, eager to get out of there before witnessing another bizarre occurrence.</p><p>Before finally reaching the safety of Rose Quarry, we did have one more encounter that briefly halted our progress. As we were walking along, we came upon a lone, female warforged wandering about. Seeing them in the distance, we readied ourselves for anything, especially if they were hostile. Cloth took the lead and carefully approached the individual to see what their deal was. After talking with her for a bit, they both returned to the group. The warforged’s name was Hatchet and she was from Thrane. She used to work for the Silver Flame, or so she said, and was looking to join the Lord of Blades after hearing about them in a flyer. To dissuade her otherwise, Cloth explained that the Lord of Blades was evil and that she was better off seeking purpose elsewhere. He then offered to help her find employment either at the Clifftop Adventurers Guild or with the other warforged in the Cogs. Having been persuaded by Cloth, Hatchet agreed to accompany us out of the Mournland.</p><p>I was a bit wary of our new traveling companion and assumed she was a Lord of Blades agent. We had encountered other warforged before named after edged weapons, and Hatchet seemed to fit the stereotype. She even had a hatchet with her that I assumed she used as her primary weapon. Though, she seemed friendly enough and didn’t outright show any signs of ill will towards us, so I gave her the benefit of the doubt. After meeting Hatchet, nothing else of note happened as we finally exited the Mournland’s mist. We did see an odd sight consisting of large creatures flying overhead, except we saw nothing but silhouettes and they didn’t bother us.</p><p>As we broke through the mist, we finally got to see the sun for the first time after a couple or so days. I was so relieved to be finally out of the Mournland and away from the insanity that ran rampant throughout the land. We had strayed a bit from Rose Quarry, so we followed the map to get back there and meet up with Failen.</p><p>Along the way, Rorsa thanked us for escorting them to safety but voiced her concern about where to go next. She wanted a safe, secluded spot to call home for herself and her pack. We thought of places she could go and someone suggested the old House Cannith outpost in Whitehearth. The town was abandoned and the outpost was one of the only semi-intact buildings left there. We nor House Cannith, or so we assumed, had any further use for it, so it was up for grabs. Rorsa graciously took the offer and asked a favor of Cloth. She wanted him to notify the surrounding settlements that she and her pack had taken up residence in the outpost and were peaceful. She wanted to avoid any potential hostilities with her new neighbors if she could avoid it. Cloth gave her a nod and said he’d do his best.</p><p>Upon arriving back in Rose Quarry, Rorsa and her pack went their separate way to survey their new home. Meanwhile, we looked over and saw Failen and his landcart right where we had left them. We were glad that he had waited around like he said or else we would’ve been irate. Battered and beaten from our excursion, we wearily made our way over to him and notified him that we were ready to head back to Rhukaan Draal.</p><p>When Failen saw our group, he noticed the additional two individuals with us (Jess and Hatchet) and asked for additional fees to have them ride with us. Cloth wasn’t having any of it. He said we had already paid for his transportation services and weren’t giving him a copper more. He said to just deal with it and take us back to the city already. We were all on edge after having just survived the Mournland and wanted to leave as soon as possible. I personally kept out of the argument and focused on using my cleansing stone to clean myself up. All the dried warforged blood was annoying, and I was covered in it.</p><p>I don’t exactly know what was said between Failen and the others since I wasn’t paying much attention, but it somehow led to Cloth attempting to back-hand Failen right in the face. Seeing himself about to be hit be a large warforged, Failen panicked and teleported away before continuing to flee on foot. The others caught sight of him in the distance and hurried to catch him. Without him, we couldn’t use the landcart and were left more or less stranded, that was, unless we wanted to walk, but that would’ve taken weeks and we were beat. I just happened to see Layla riding a horse that Asmundr had summoned for her and him running alongside her. They headed off together in pursuit of Failen while the rest of us remained behind.</p><p>Lost was a bit heated over the situation, not wishing it had escalated the way it had. Cloth was also a bit irritated since he didn’t actually intend to hit him, instead only meaning to intimidate him. I just rolled my eyes and continued to clean myself up, not having the energy in me to get involved. I just wanted to get back to Sharn one way or the other. The others just shrugged at each other, confused as to what was going on. Hatchet even remarked that the kind of behavior the others were exhibiting reminded her of bandits. That struck a wrong nerve in me since we weren’t bandits, but I bit my tongue and kept silent, not wanting to say something that I’d later regret.</p><p>Eventually, Layla and Asmundr caught up with Failen and used non-lethal force to subdue him. They returned with Failen all tied up and placed on the back of Layla’s horse, unconscious. With Failen in tow, the others discussed what to do with him. I just sat there and observed with a sour expression on my face. Attacking an innocent wasn’t how we normally operated, even if the guy was somewhat of a prick. Things rapidly went downhill and almost got out of hand. At one point, someone even suggested that we kill Failen and take the landcart for ourselves. Then afterwards, we’d free the earth elemental from its enslavement and life of mistreatment. That plan was quickly shot down as that was highly immoral and without the dragonmark, we couldn’t drive the landcart. I thought I knew my companions better, but I suppose I was mistaken. I gave them the benefit of the doubt and wrote if off as them being irritable and tired from the journey into the Mournland, but how true that was had yet to be seen.</p><p>It was getting late and we were all tired. We deiced to set up camp there and rest for the night. In the morning, we planned to deal with Failen after he regained consciousness and discuss how we’d get back to Rhukaan Draal. We set up camp around the landcart and other cart full of loot we had gotten from the Emerald Claw camp. I was fortunate to get my own tent, so I had ample room to get comfy and get a good night’s rest.</p><p>The others made sure Failen was secured by gagging him with a piece of cloth, blinding him with a piece of cloth wrapped around his eyes, and binding him by securing his ankles and wrists with rope. Cloth did an excellent job and Failen looked like a hogtied pig. All the extra precautions were to make sure he couldn’t cast any spells to get away. Cloth remained on watch and looked after Failen while the rest of us slept. Hatchet decided to stay up with him and they both conversed together about various topics. Once I had everything squared away inside my tent, I fell right to sleep as my head hit my pillow. Thankfully, I was able to get ample rest without the Mournland’s magical effects ruining it for me.</p><p> </p><p>#</p><p> </p><p>When I woke up the next morning, I was feeling much better than before. I wasn’t completely great, but better at least. During the night, Cloth and Lost told everyone about a slight disturbance they went to investigate. They witnessed someone being kidnapped by a creature riding on horseback. The person being kidnapped was an old man bound at the wrists and riding on the back of the demonic horse. When the horse and rider disappeared into the Mournland, Cloth and Lost abandoned their plans of saving him and promptly returned to the camp. After entertaining us about their middle of the night commotion, we all gathered around Failen and woke him up.</p><p>Cloth took the lead in the conversation as he gave a stern talking to Failen in Goblin, which was done to try and get on his good side and better get him to cooperate. Cloth also discretely used some of his magic to help persuade Failen to our side. Most of the group who didn’t speak Goblin couldn’t follow along with what was being said, but in the end, it seemed that the two had come to some sort of an agreement. Cloth told us that Failen would take us all back to Rhukaan Draal without additional fees.</p><p>With all that taken care of, we all relaxed and loosened up a bit. Cloth freed Failen of his restraints then went on to cook some food for all of us. I had a bit of his cooking since I was feeling a bit hungry. It was rather bland but edible at least.</p><p>When we were finally ready to depart, we tore down camp and got it loaded up with our gear. We found a way to hook up our captured loot cart to the back of Failen’s landcart for transport. Once everything was packed away and secured on the carts, we hopped onto the landcart to get ready for the return journey. When everyone was onboard and seated, Failen used his dragonmark once more and got us moving.</p>
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<a name="section0014"><h2>14. Back to Civilization</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It took about three days of travel to get back to Rhukaan Draal, but we eventually made it back without incident. Upon arriving back at the city, Failen quickly went about his business and left us once we had detached our cart from his. He told us that he was completely done with us and would no longer do business with our party in the future. That was fine by me. I doubted that we’d ever cross paths again anyway.</p><p>Just as we had finished our affairs with Failen, we were approached by a goblin messenger that had a message for us. The goblin said the message he had was from Lady Elaydren, and it said to meet her at the Clenched Fist tavern in the city. It appeared that Lady Elaydren had come all that way to check in on our progress and meet us face-to-face. Very bold of her to be traveling alone to such a dangerous locale. We thanked the goblin and immediately began making our way to meet her. Vermundr positioned himself at the front of our cart and began pulling it behind him, though, he couldn’t move very fast.</p><p>We traversed through the city and arrived at the tavern to meet with Lady Elaydren. We stashed the cart in a side alley with Cloth and Vermundr electing to stay outside with it. The rest of us headed inside and met with our benefactor, reporting to her our exploits in Rose Quarry and Whitehearth. She seemed to be alone and I was surprised she managed to get there all by herself. When she asked for the schema, we told her Cloth had it and went with her outside to get it. We went around to the side alley and asked for Cloth to hand over what we found. Cloth had some reservations and asked if Lady Elaydren could give us a moment to talk things over. Lady Elaydren was troubled at the sudden lack of trust but gave us a nod, heading back into the tavern until we came to get her.</p><p>Once we were alone, Cloth voiced his concerns after noticing some other items within the crystalline chest. Since we were in relative safety, we took the chest out and Asmundr went to work trying to pick the lock. It took a bit of tinkering, but he finally managed to get the lock open without damaging the chest. We opened the top and huddled around to get a better look at the chest’s elusive contents.</p><p>To our surprise, we found not one, but two identical diamond-shaped schemas within the chest. We carefully took them out and gave them a closer look. They had to be the item we were looking for, but we never expected to find two of them. In addition to the schemas, we also found a circular disc with four slots cut out of it. One of the slots was shaped like the first schema we found, the eight-pointed star. Then there was another slot shaped like a diamond which we assumed was for one of the schemas that accompanied it in the chest. Lady Elaydren never mentioned two schemas nor the peculiar slotted disc. That made us think what else she wasn’t telling us and we didn’t like being left in the dark, especially when our lives were at stake during these missions. We then decided to keep one of the diamond-shaped schemas as well as the circular disc. We were going to grill Lady Elaydren for information before even considering handing them over.</p><p>Asmundr held on to the schema we were going to give Lady Elaydren while we put everything else back into Cloth’s bag. We then went back inside the tavern to discuss things further with her. As we approached her, she seemed a bit anxious. She told us that she felt uncomfortable continuing the conversation in such a public setting, especially one as sketchy as a tavern in Rhukaan Draal. Instead, she wanted to find a more private setting and asked us to escort her back to Sharn. We looked to each other and agreed, also wanting to go back home. She even offered to pay us each 1,000gp upfront for our protection services which we gladly accepted. I couldn’t say no to a cool thousand gold coins.</p><p>Before leaving, we decided to lighten our load and sell off as much of the looted supplies as we could in the Bloody Market before leaving. We were able to sell a lot of the basic armor and weapons looted from the soldiers as well as a majority of the mining supplies. In total, we managed to rake in 2,760gp which was split amongst myself, Cloth, Layla, and Asmundr. Since Lost was back with us and participated in a majority of our excursion, we all chipped in 90gp of our cut to give to him. After giving him a portion of our profit, we each had 600gp leftover and Lost had 360gp. Unfortunately, Hatchet and Jess didn’t receive a cut, though Jess didn’t want any of it and Cloth gave almost all of his share to Hatchet. Once we had gotten rid of almost all of the loot and the cart, we took a caravan back to Sterngate to catch a lightning-rail ride back to Sharn.</p><p>The caravan ride was going to take twelve or so days like it had before, so we had plenty of time to chat with Lady Elaydren. Since we were more or less alone save for the caravan driver, we began to ask Lady Elaydren some questions that were on our minds. We began to talk and eventually, the conversation turned to the schema that we found in Whitehearth. The more we talked, the less reason we had not to trust Lady Elaydren, so after a while, Asmundr handed over the schema he had while Cloth showed her the second schema in his possession.</p><p>Lady Elaydren was flabbergasted to say the least as she took both schemas in her hands. She gave them a close inspection and identified one of them as the original and the other as a near-identical replica. We were shocked to hear that the schemas could be copied and wondered who made the duplicate. Lady Elaydren wasn’t sure, but she said she’d find out after getting back to Sharn. She thanked us all for our honesty and hard work. As a sign of her appreciation, she gave each of us 2,500gp for finding and handing over the schemas.</p><p>Not wanting to betray Lady Elaydren’s high praise of us, Cloth revealed the circular disc to her and asked if she knew what it was. Lady Elaydren nodded and said it was called the Creation Pattern, but she didn’t know that it was located at Whitehearth. She said that it could potentially be very dangerous in the wrong hands. Hearing that, Cloth said that he’d hang on to it for safekeeping if it was indeed that dangerous. Lady Elaydren was slightly perturbed by that but gave him a nod, reassured that it was indeed safe in our hands.</p><p> </p><p>#</p><p> </p><p>After a long journey on the caravan, we arrived at Sterngate without any trouble. We were a bit tense while going through the valley where we were ambushed the last time, but thankfully we didn’t encounter a single goblin. We guessed that the main troublemakers were the ones that we killed during our last passing, so there wasn’t anyone left to set up ambushes. During the caravan ride, I was panicking while trying to think of who in Sharn could fix my ailment. When Lady Elaydren first saw both me and Lost with our new conditions, she was shocked. She didn’t know anyone who could help either, though, she said she’d help out however she could.</p><p>When we arrived at Sterngate, we followed Lady Elaydren over to the lightning-rail station. There, she bought us all First-Class tickets for the ride back to Sharn. I was very grateful and looked forward to a nice, relaxing ride in First-Class to ease all the stress I had from being in the Mournland. We didn’t have to wait around long, and when our lightning-rail was getting ready to leave, we all boarded. Lady Elaydren had reserved an entire car for us which had two large cabins that were adjacent to one another. The gals and I had one of the cabins while the guys had the other, but most of the time we were traveling in-between them.</p><p>I spent most of my time just relaxing in our cabin. Some of the guys, I think Cloth and Lost, ventured off to do some charity work or something in the other cars. When they came back, they told us all about a peculiar individual they encountered there. They said they met a woman who said she was part of the King’s Citadel, a secret security force loyal to the King of Breland. The agent had heard about our exploits and had a job of sorts lined up for us if we wanted it. Of course, it was off the record and she wasn’t officially tasking us with it. She told them it was of particular interest to Cloth as it dealt with enslaved warforged in a camp in Zilargo. Cloth and Lost told the agent they’d think about it and talk it over with us before giving her a decision. The agent gave them her card which had her alias and contact information in case we took the job. After discussing it, we decided to put it on our list of things to do but weren’t in any rush to get it done.</p><p>Time went on and we had to make a stop at a place called Starilaskur to get on another lightning-rail. We disembarked from the lightning-rail we were on and quickly got onto another; we also had First-Class tickets for that leg of the trip. Unfortunately, the second half wasn’t as carefree as the first.</p><p>During the ride, I remained in our First-Class cabin that had a similar layout to the first train we rode. I was minding my own business, lying on a very comfy futon until we heard banging on the cabin door. I peeked my eye open to see what was going on, and I found Asmundr and Cloth were talking to some House Medani guards. I figured it was some routine check, so I didn’t pay them much attention. Then their voices began to get louder and their words more heated. Apparently, Asmundr had gotten himself into some trouble while wandering around the lightning-rail. He was looking around for a bucket to help ease the burden of Lost’s “goopy” condition. His off-putting appearance rubbed some of the workers the wrong way and they got into an argument. Asmundr got offended by one of them and retaliated in a physical manner, though, the worker was unharmed.</p><p>The guards continued to give Asmundr a hard time and eventually the whole party got involved. Since we were all associated with Asmundr, the guards told us that we were being confined to our car for the remainder of the trip. Now, up until that point, I didn’t care about what was happening. I mean, maybe a little, but it wasn’t my fault. If Asmundr got himself into a bit of trouble with the law, then that was on him, but the second it began to affect us all as a group due to the actions of just one person, then I began to get a bit annoyed.</p><p>The others shared my sentiment and berated the guards for forcing all of us to remain in the car. It was just one person that concerned them, so why did we have to get involved? Some of the others tried to reason with the guards, saying things like how it didn’t make sense to lock up a criminal with innocent, paying customers, but it all fell on deaf ears and they just ignored us. When I asked to leave to get some food or go to the restroom, I was quickly denied and told to basically shut up and do what I was told. I hated government law establishments and this only cemented my disdain for them.</p><p>When words failed, the more manly men in our group resorted to antagonizing the guards and used force. After the guards had shut the door and locked it, Asmundr decided to break it down. His reasoning was that it was unlawful to lock us all in the car, citing safety reasons or something loose like that. The guards were about to draw their weapons, but Lady Elaydren diffused the situation and Asmundr mended the door so that there was no physical evidence of his misdeed. I just rolled my eyes at the whole situation and groaned at how much of a drag things were.</p><p>During the stop in Wroat, which was the capital of Breland, the House Medani guards had the train remain at the station. They contacted the city watch and asked for their aid in dealing with Asmundr and the rest of us. Not before long, a contingent of city watchmen arrived at the platform and began interrogating us all. Starting with Cloth for some reason, they led us away one-by-one and questioned us to see if our stories lined up.</p><p>When it was my turn, I was taken into a secluded area nearby on the train and surrounded by a small group of watchmen. They were all male and I didn’t exactly feel “safe” being at their mercy. The commanding officer seemed like a nice and reasonable guy, so I asked if there were any female guards that could stand by instead. Unfortunately, he said he didn’t have any female guards with him. He then suggested to have a one-on-one interrogation outside if that made me feel more comfortable. Indeed it did, so I followed him off the train and told him my side of what happened while standing there on the platform.</p><p>After everything was said and done, the watchmen arrested Asmundr, and he had to stay behind in Wroat to stand trial in a week’s time. The rest of us were allowed to go, so we remained with Lady Elaydren on the lightning-rail and continued back to Sharn. Asmundr said he’d be fine and would meet up with us once the trial was over, assuming he was allowed to go. The rest of the trip was uneventful and I was finally allowed to relax again.</p><p>We continued to escort Lady Elaydren and once we got back to Sharn, we brought her back to a House Cannith forge, the one we usually frequented. She thanked us for sticking with her on the journey back and would safeguard the schemas posthaste. After she was back home, sort of speak, we decided to spend the upcoming week by ourselves. We had to wait for Asmundr after all, so in the meantime, I got some errands done and further decompressed after having survived the Mournland. After a week’s time, we planned to all meet up at the Clifftop Adventurers Guild to discuss our next job.</p><p>We all went our separate ways from the forge and I decided to head straight to a bathhouse. In particular, I sought one that had private areas to bathe in. I was a bit embarrassed that I was covered in scales and didn’t feel comfortable washing myself in an open public bath. I didn’t want to go to the one I frequented in case the employees recognized me. Luckily, I found another bathhouse that offered sectioned off areas for customers seeking a more private setting. I had to pay a bit extra for that, but it was well worth it. I had my own personal amenities and didn’t have to worry about prying eyes.</p><p>Once I had gotten all my clothes off, I got to see the extent of my reptilian transformation. I was just glad I didn’t have a tail. I did my best to scrub my body, but the scales made it awkward. I still had no idea who to go to in order to find a remedy, but that was a problem for tomorrow I told myself. I was tired and just wanted to unwind for the rest of the day. I felt rather demoralized, so I just submersed myself in the warm water and soaked in it for a while. Since I only had my private bath for an hour, I eventually finished cleaning up then got dressed.</p><p>I made my way back to the apartment and found it empty. Layla was elsewhere, so I headed into my room and closed the door, letting out a sigh of relief as I dropped my bag to the floor. I looked to my bed and remembered that I had a new set of high-quality linens to put on it. I retrieved my bag and pulled out the sheets and pillow cases. Using my cleansing stone, I cleaned the sheets then began replacing the ones I currently had on my bed. After I was done, my bed looked super comfy and I tried to resist the urge to just flop on it and go to sleep. It was a bit early to go to sleep, but I didn’t care. If I fell asleep, I’d just wake up earlier the next day. I got changed into something cleaner and more comfortable then laid on my bed to test out the new sheets. They passed my test and shortly after I had gotten into bed, I was out like a light.</p><p> </p><p>#</p><p> </p><p>My body must’ve been super tired because when I finally woke up the next day, it was well into the morning already. The sun was out and light was shining through a window into our apartment. I yawned heavily as I stretched my arms into the air. At that point, I noticed that my arms and hands were back to normal and I was no longer scaly. I got out of bed and quickly checked the rest of my body. There wasn’t a single scale in sight and I was wondering if I was dreaming. Thankfully, I wasn’t and I flopped back onto my bed, relieved that I was back to normal.</p><p>Since I had the day and the rest of the week to myself, I was in no rush to do anything in particular and played it by ear. The first thing I decided to do was head back to the bathhouse. The last time I was there, I didn’t get to fully enjoy my experience, but since I was back to my old self, I decided to go once more. I had plenty of money to spend, so twice in a row didn’t hurt my wallet one bit. I went to the one I normally frequented and thoroughly enjoyed my time there. I didn’t realize just how much having smooth skin was a luxury, so I didn’t take it for granted after my recent scaly experience.</p><p>After getting cleaned up, I went and got a high-end massage to loosen up my sore muscles. All the walking and marching we suffered through really did a number on my legs. The massage was great and I felt completely renewed afterwards. Unfortunately, as I laid on the massage table with nothing but my thoughts to preoccupy me, I began to lose myself in some of my recent memories. The sights I bore witness to reminded me a lot of my time in the war and all the horrible things I saw there. After leaving the massage parlor, I picked up some food on the way home and remained in my room for the rest of the day. I also paid my half of the rent to the landlord before heading upstairs to my apartment.</p><p>While I was moping around inside my room, I eventually took some time to be productive and unpacked my backpack. I took out all the souvenirs and stuff I got from Whitehearth and began putting it all away. I didn’t feel like performing maintenance on my guns at that time, so I put it off for later. I figured I wasn’t going to get into any gunfights in the near future, so it could wait. After I was done unpacking, I just remained lying on my bed as I tried my best to deal with my depressed state. I was having a hard time blocking out all the bad thoughts and emotions that were flooding my mind.</p><p> </p><p>#</p><p> </p><p>The next day, I slept in again and took my time getting out of bed. I figured doing some shopping would do me some good, so I got dressed and left the apartment. At least it distracted me from floundering in my grief and got me to be somewhat productive.</p><p>I started off my shopping spree by visiting Markus. I replenished my ammo supply and told him about my recent adventure in the Mournland, though, I did keep some details out. He was surprised to hear my story and was saddened to hear about the current state of Cyre. He didn’t show it, but I knew it struck him somewhere on the inside. After chatting a bit more with him, I left to continue my shopping.</p><p>The next item on my list was a Bag of Holding. Towards the end of the last mission, my bag was pretty full of stuff and it was quite heavy to be carrying around. It was a bit bothersome and cumbersome at times to deal with, and I wanted something lighter. That was when I remembered some of the bags the others had. One had a Handy Haversack while another had a Bag of Holding. I went to a store that specialized in magical and enchanted items and asked if they had any available. They had both, so I asked the clerk what the differences between the two bags were.</p><p>The clerk went on to explain that the Handy Haversack couldn’t hold as much in terms of weight as the Bag of Holding could. However, the Handy Haversack was more convenient as a certain magical property made it easier and faster to retrieve something from it. Whereas all the items inside a Bag of Holding were just randomly kept and one had to search around for the specific item they wanted. The Handy Haversack allowed the owner to think or say what they wanted and it’d be right there when they reached in to pull it out. They both weighed a set amount no matter how much was inside the bag, so they were more or less even on that. I was looking more towards carrying capacity, so I opted to get the Bag of Holding. It was more expensive than the Handy Haversack, but I had the funds to cover the cost. Once I had my new bag in hand, I continued on and went to a general supply store next.</p><p>The shop I went to next had a wide variety of goods to browse through. I took my time and looked around, keeping an eye out for anything that’d prove useful or convenient while in the field. Now that I had a Bag of Holding, I no longer had to worry about my carry weight and packing light. I was able to bring nearly whatever I wanted and not have to bear the burden of carrying it all. That opened up a lot of choices for me, and I was eager to see what I’d find.</p><p>I began with the basics and picked up a few more rations, a couple more torches, a crowbar, a canteen, a tankard, and a sewing needle. They were just some items that I figured could be useful at one point or another in the future. After that, I went about looking for some quality-of-life items to make living conditions more tolerable while out on a mission.</p><p>I found a chair that was foldable and could fit in my bag. Sitting on the ground constantly when there was nowhere else to sit was getting old, so a folding chair was nice to have. Along with that, I also got a foldable shovel, just in case we happened to need one. I also picked up a new grooming kit as the one I had was old and not as good of quality. It was missing some items, so it was about time to get a replacement.</p><p>While browsing around one aisle, I found a cool sheath that fit around my wrist. It had a slot for a knife and it fit my butterfly knife perfectly. It made it a lot easier to access it instead of drawing it from my belt, so I bought one.</p><p>The last thing I got was a mannequin. It was finely crafted and had a cushioned body which was soft and covered with fabric. It was used by tailors for tailoring, but I wanted it just so I could display some of the stuff I had… and perhaps to keep me company as well. It was more or less life sized and had an expressionless, oval-shaped face which was okay by me. It was also gender neutral and poseable, so I was able to adjust it however I wanted. It was too big to carry, so I had the store get some employees to deliver it to my apartment directly. They told me they’d bring it by later, so I had some time before I had to head back and await their arrival.</p><p>Before I left, I picked up some supplies to make my new weapon wall on the inside of the door for my wardrobe. I wanted to display my weapons somewhere instead of keeping them out of sight in a chest. Once I had everything I needed, I made my way home to get it all set up and wait for the delivery people.</p><p>When I got back to the apartment, the first thing I did was transfer the contents of my old backpack to my new bag. I also spent some time getting used to the magical nature of the bag. It was a bit odd, but I began to get used to it. During that time, the delivery people came by and delivered my new mannequin. They helped carry it in and got it placed where I wanted it to be, which was in an empty corner of my room. After they had left, I inspected my new purchase and found everything in order, posing it in a standard standing position. Seeing the mannequin there, I began to feel a bit lonely and kind of gave it a hug- you know, to test its softness. To be honest, it felt kind of nice and it had been a while since I hugged anyone… or anything for that matter. And no, I didn’t kiss it; I wasn’t that desperate for affection. I didn’t let the embrace linger for too long in the off chance that Layla happened to barge in and catch me being weird.</p><p>After taking care of my mannequin, I went on to setting up my weapon display rack. The inside of one of my wardrobe’s doors was the ideal place to hang it. There was ample room there for my knives and daggers, and when I wanted it all put away, all I had to do was just close the door and it was out of sight. It took me a bit of tinkering, but I finally got it to just how I wanted it to look. I retrieved my kukri, kerambit, and swordbreaker dagger from the chest they were in and hung them up. They looked super cool all lined up and displayed there. I then retrieved the dagger I looted from the defeated Emerald Claw officer and cleaned it up before adding it to the rack. All in all, it looked pretty sweet and I couldn’t wait to add more to it.</p><p>Shopping in the market and messing around in my room preoccupied most of my day, so when it got late, I happily turned in for the night. It was nice going to bed as my normal self and sandwiched in-between high-quality linens.</p><p> </p><p>#</p><p> </p><p>It was day three of my little vacation and I decided to get a bit more errands done while I had the free time. I started off by writing a letter to my dear friend and professional acquaintance, Daena or just D as she preferred to be called. She was a vampire hunter and a dhampir herself. We met one day while hunting the same person, a ruthless criminal named Myer. I was after just him while she was after both him and his entire crew. At the start of things, all I had to go on was the name Myer and a brief description of his appearance. That was it. I thought it to be a welcomed challenge, so I took the job despite the little information I had.</p><p>As time went on, I was having a bit of a hard time tracking down Myer but finally made some progress with one of his associates. I figured the associate knew where Myer was, so if I captured him, I could make him talk. Of course, things were easier said than done and plans sometimes never worked as you intended. I had the associate in my crosshairs and was ready to make him surrender. Then suddenly, a pale woman came out of nowhere and sliced him in half with one swift motion using her large scythe. To put it lightly, I had a lot of emotions going through my head at that moment. Who was that woman? Was she there to kill me? That was pretty cool what she just did there. You know, things like that.</p><p>After the woman had so savagely killed my prey before I could make him talk, I kept my guns trained on her and asked what she was doing. The elegant woman, my friend Daena, told me she was hunting vampires and not to interfere in her business. Of course, I was still a bit pissed and told her that she had interfered with mine just then. I continued on and told her I was hunting Myer and that associate was my only lead in finding him. Daena turned to me and said she was hunting the same man as well as his gang. They were all vampires and she wanted them dead.</p><p>We talked for a bit, and I can’t remember who suggested it, but the notion of us working together eventually came up. She said she’d help me find Myer and allow me to take full credit for the kill. In exchange, she wanted to kill Myer personally and collect any vampire relics or artifacts he had in his possession. I couldn’t see anything wrong with that arrangement, so I happily agreed. It was a win-win situation. The job went without a hitch and I was able to collect the full bounty as a result.</p><p>During our short time working together, we got to know each other a bit and formed a professional relationship as hunters. She told me that if I ever needed help with anything related to vampire hunting or vampires to just let her know. Since we encountered a vampire and were being targeted by it, I thought that warranted notifying her of the situation. I recalled as much as I could and told her the relevant parts of the last job that dealt with the vampire in question. Once I had the letter written, I headed out to the nearest House Sivis message center to get it sent out to Daena.</p><p>After sending out the letter, I decided to wander around Sharn a bit to see what things I could find. As I was strolling around, I passed by the Kundarak Bank of Sharn and decided to stop by there. Since I had been raking in the coin as of late, I had accumulated a large amount and it was beginning to become more than I could handle. I opened up an account with the bank and deposited a large amount of coins, most of them being gold ones. It helped lighten the load and I didn’t have to worry about being mugged and risk losing my entire fortune. For the remainder of the day, I just wandered around, seeing the sights and getting more accustomed to my new home.</p><p> </p><p>#</p><p> </p><p>The following day, I was still feeling a bit down and tired for some reason. I had no idea what was wrong with me. I sometimes had sudden periods of feeling blue, but it hadn’t been like that before. After waking up, I just lounged around the apartment in nothing but my panties and blouse halfway buttoned up. I just didn’t feel like doing anything or going anywhere.</p><p>It wasn’t until around noon that I forced myself to get out of bed. I wanted to do something that’d lift my spirits, but I was unable to come up with anything. I then finally decided to check out the Clifftop Adventurers Guild and see if anything interesting was going on there. I got fully dressed then headed out.</p><p>When I got there, I just hung out in the common area and watched some of the other members train and stuff. I eventually began to get bored of that, so I went to the tavern and got myself an apple cider to amuse myself with. While I was sitting at the bar, I saw Lhara and decided to chat her up a bit. She wasn’t busy at the moment, so we sat down together and talked over a couple of drinks. We started off talking about the guild in general and how it normally operated.</p><p>After getting a few drinks in our system, I decided to get a bit more personal and began asking Lhara about herself. I asked her if she had been an adventurer before becoming a guild handler and also inquired about the origin of her eyepatch. Being a one-eyed eyepatch wearer myself, I should’ve known it was a bit rude to ask her that, but I did have a few drinks already flowing through me, so I wasn’t exactly thinking clearly. She just gave me a smile and said she was an adventurer but declined to elaborate more on her eyepatch. I just gave her a nod and didn’t push the matter further.</p><p>The conversation then got on the topic of the other guild members. I asked Lhara who was the best around or who were the most skilled in their field. Lhara thought for a moment then went on talk about previous guild champions and a part of the guild hall that memorialized their past greatness. She then mentioned a few current guild champions but by then, I was blasted and couldn’t retain all the information.</p><p>The next thing I knew, I found myself waking up in an office and sitting in a corner on a chair. I was confused and frantically looked around only to see Lhara sitting behind her desk working on something. When I fully came to, Lhara told me that I had too much to drink and brought me to her office to sober up. Shortly after she had gotten me seated in the chair I was in, I passed out. Unlike me, she had been watching her alcohol intake and was perfectly fine. She continued with her guild work while simultaneously making sure I was okay. I thanked her for looking after me and apologized for my behavior. She said it wasn’t a problem and that it was a welcomed distraction from her work. I told her I usually didn’t drink that much and figured I just must’ve gotten lost in the merriment. It was already getting late, so I once again thanked her and apologized before heading home. It sucked and I felt horrible from all the drinks I had, but I eventually made it back in one piece and went straight to bed.</p><p> </p><p>#</p><p> </p><p>It was day five and I was feeling slightly better than before, surprisingly. I wanted to keep the momentum going and do something productive. I thought for a bit about what I needed to do then remembered something. The House Cannith forge we usually visited probably had some cool items to enhance my combat ability. I was curious to see if they had made any progress with the blueprints I let them have, so I got ready and headed out.</p><p>It was a relaxing stroll to the forge and when I entered, they weren’t busy at all. I looked around for the guy I met the last time I was there and eventually found him. He recognized me from our last encounter and asked how he could be of service. I asked him if they had any new inventions or devices to offer, specifically for firearms, but I tried not to get my hopes up. He reluctantly shook his head and said they didn’t. In fact, they had barely made any progress on the development of firearm technology. They had numerous other projects they were currently working on and just didn’t have the time.</p><p>Not wanting to leave empty-handed, I asked if there was anything he could offer- anything. Whether it was ammunitions, attachments, upgrades, or enhancements for my current guns. He thought for a moment once more then came up with an idea. He asked me if I was interested in something to make my gunshots completely silent. The notion intrigued me and I nodded, figuring that such a thing could come in handy in tight quarters, like back in Whitehearth.</p><p>The artificer told me to wait there and left momentarily to retrieve whatever he had in mind. He then came back with a vial containing some sort of oil. I asked him what it was and he explained that it was a vial containing a concoction called Oil of Silence. When applied to my guns, it would dampen the sound of my gunshots, in theory anyway. He hadn’t actually tested it due to not having guns available, but he assured me it most likely would work. I was unconvinced, so we decided to test it out together.</p><p>I took out my gun then popped open the vial. To work, he told me to rub it all over the surface of my gun. Hearing that made me cringe as that would’ve dirtied up my gun and potentially prevented it from working. He then went on to encourage me, saying it was for science. I rolled my eyes at him and poured a little bit onto the frame, rubbing it around and making sure to avoid the vital firing mechanisms. Once the gun in my hand was fully coated, I took aim at a practice target and fired. It worked like a charm and the actual gunshot was completely silenced.</p><p>Impressed, I went on to buy a couple of vials and asked how much it would cost. The artificer told me each bottle was 250gp each, so I ended up buying two. They’d certainly come in handy in confined places or if we were trying to be sneaky. My guns weren’t exactly the stealthiest of weapons, but with the oil applied, I could take out a guy without as much as the sound of the hammer striking. After visiting the forge, I went back home and took care of a few other things.</p><p> </p><p>#</p><p> </p><p>It was the second to last day of my vacation and I was beginning to feel anxious about heading back into the field once more, but more importantly, with the current group of comrades I was with- Aureum Vindictae. I can’t remember when we all started calling ourselves that, but it stuck. I also can’t remember what it meant exactly. It had something to do with gold… and vengeance. Golden Vengeance was it? I don’t know.</p><p>Anyway, their recent behaviors were giving me doubts about whether I wanted to continue working with them or not. I remained in my room and pondered my thoughts on the matter. The incident involving Failen after getting out of the Mournland and the disturbance on the lightning-rail. It made me wonder what other trouble the others might get themselves into, and by association, me as well. It was only a matter of time before they did something that affected me or my reputation so negatively that’d it cross the line. Thankfully, that hadn’t happened yet and, I was actually beginning to like them as a whole. We more or less worked cohesively and had gone through a lot together already. I couldn’t complain with all the money we were making either.</p><p>In the end, I decided to stick with the motley crew so long as they didn’t go back into the Mournland or become full-fledged criminals. Sure we may have had differing views, but that normally didn’t hinder the accomplishment of the job at hand. After grappling with my thoughts, I finally left the apartment and spent the rest of the day out in the city.</p>
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<a name="section0015"><h2>15. The Greatest Prey of All</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Like with all good things, they had to end eventually. It was finally time to meet up with the others and find our next job to do. Layla had gone on ahead, so I was left in the apartment all by myself. I gathered my things and made sure my Bag of Holding had everything I needed. While I was preparing to head out, I heard a knock on the front door.</p><p>We rarely had company over and I wasn’t expecting anyone. I reached to my side and drew a gun, carefully approaching the door and asking out loud who it was. To my surprise, it was Lost, so I relaxed and holstered my sidearm. I then opened the door to see Lost standing right there before me.</p><p>When I asked why Lost had come to visit, he said that he and Cloth had already accepted our next mission. Lost was going to take me to meet up with Cloth at a crime scene which was related to the job. Apparently, Layla and Asmundr had already left to tackle a separate job on their own to maximize our profits. Asmundr had gone through his trial and won, though he did have to pay one of the two charges he was accused of still. I think he had to pay the “disturbing the peace” one, but the “assault” one was dropped. Anyway, after being released from custody, he made his way back to Sharn and met up with the others.</p><p>With Asmundr and Layla gone, that left Lost, Cloth, and myself to find our own job to do. Since Cloth and Lost were checking the bounty board at the Guild together, they decided to pick one without my input. I was a bit bothered at that, but whatever it was, it was probably okay. Lost’s reserve and mild temperament balanced out Cloth’s enthusiasm and fervor, so they probably chose something worthwhile.</p><p>I finished getting ready then left the apartment to follow Lost. While Lost and I were walking, he talked about what he and Cloth had been up to over the past week before telling me more about the job. While we were at the House Cannith forge when we first got back to Sharn, he and Cloth decided to take care of some personal business there. He put in an order for a new, magical weapon, a guisarme I think which was to be enchanted with added lightning damage. Cloth, on the other hand, picked up his restored warforged dog which he named Spot.</p><p>After that, Lost told me that Cloth intended to fashion the magical, never-ending water dog bowls into a source of clean, drinking water for the poor. Cloth wanted to position them at key locations within the poor district, like at a church. That was pretty nice of him, but it made sense considering his religious background.</p><p>During the first couple of days, Lost and Cloth had also taken care of some business-related matters. The two of them went to the city watch station where they handed over all the fake and real identification papers the Emerald Claw soldiers had. After that, they went to visit Ada at her newspaper office. They told her about Rorsa and her pack living in the old House Cannith outpost in Rose Quarry. They wanted her to write a little snippet in the newspaper about how they were peaceful and to not bother them. While they were there, they also told her about a few other things. In exchange for the story, Ada filled them in about some leads she had about possible job opportunities.</p><p>Once Lost had finished talking about his week, he went on to tell me more specifics about the job he and Cloth had chosen to do. The main objective was to hunt down six escaped convicts who got away during the Wild Night fiasco a while ago. The group of convicts’ included: Scrimshaw who was a gargoyle, Rregla the Gasper, Durack the Masher who was a bugbear, Mange who was a shapeshifter, Vrinn who was a changeling, and Grimgraj who was a hobgoblin. It was a kill or capture job, so that was fine at least. It sounded like a normal bounty-hunting job which was more my style.</p><p>Anyway, the job was posted by the head of House Medani, Baron Trelib d’Medani, who also had a personal stake attached to it. His daughter went missing while investigating a stolen treasure of his, a silver statuette of a basilisk with diamond eyes. He suspected that the escaped convicts were somehow involved, so by finding them, he hoped to find his daughter as well. The crime scene that Lost and I were headed to was where the silver statuette was last seen before its disappearance- at the House Medani estate.</p><p>Lost and I eventually made it to the estate and we were escorted in by some House Medani guards. We walked through the grounds and met up with Cloth who was waiting there for us. To my surprise, he wasn’t alone as Jess and Hatchet were there as well as Cloth’s new warforged dog sidekick. Jess had been staying at the Clifftop Adventurers Guild for the time being and was anxious to get out and explore a little. Hatchet had been apprenticing under Cloth’s close supervision and wanted to accompany him on the job as well. We all briefly caught up on things then went about investigating the crime scene.</p><p>While we were looking around, Baron Trelib d’Medani himself came by to personally meet all of us. He thanked us for accepting the job and hoped we’d find his daughter soon. His mood then shifted and became more somber. He went on to say that his advisors informed him that there was roughly a three-day window of time to successfully find her. After that, the chances dropped significantly to nearly a zero-percent chance of ever finding her again. We all assured him we’d do our best and get his daughter back to him safe and sound.</p><p>Before taking his leave, the Baron told us that if we needed anything to just let him know. He also gave us a sliver of information that might help in our investigation. He told us of a potential lead consisting of a silversmith who might potentially be connected to the crime. The silversmith’s name was Calinto Mulhar and he owned a place in Sharn called the Shining Star Silver located on the Cassan Bridge. We told him we’d look into it before he left us to our work.</p><p>With a renewed sense of purpose, and with time quickly ticking by, we went around and tried to find any more clues. While getting a closer look at the pedestal where the statuette used to be, Cloth noticed some magical powder at the base of it. He couldn’t discern what it was exactly but took note of it. We continued to look around but didn’t find much of anything else.</p><p>Since we had done all we could with the crime scene, we left and took a skycab to find the silversmith the Baron had told us about. When we got to the shop, we found the place had been broken into and trashed. It didn’t look promising, so we proceeded with caution and with our weapons at the ready. As we ventured further inside, we found a recently deceased man, presumably the silversmith. The assailants had to have been recently there, so I looked around and managed to pick up a suspicious trail leading out of the shop.</p><p>I led the way as I continued to track the trail along the winding alleys and side paths. The others followed me and did their best to keep up. Unfortunately, as the trail began to move into higher traffic areas, I lost it and couldn’t pick it up again. Not to be deterred, Cloth summoned a live dog to try and track any lingering scents. His warforged dog couldn’t smell, and the attachment to allow it do so was pretty expensive, so he didn’t have one. We quickly retraced our steps until the dog picked up the trail, and once it did, we followed after it. Lost also asked around to see if anyone had seen anything suspicious.</p><p>We followed the dog until it too became lost and unable to pick up the trail. Fortunately, Hatchet had a keen eye and was able to bridge the gap, allowing the dog to continue tracking the scent. Not before long, we ended up in an alley with two questionable individuals ahead of us. We confronted them and recognized that they were two of the escaped convicts- Grimgraj and Mange. When we tried to apprehend them peacefully, they wouldn’t go down without a fight and attacked us.</p><p>We defended ourselves and came out on top with Grimgraj ending up dead and Mange alive in our custody. Cloth stabilized Mange’s wounds before he began grilling him for information. We decided to carry out our own interrogation before handing over our prisoner to the city watch. After some intimidation on Cloth’s part, we managed to get a few pieces of information out of Mange. Our prisoner told us that he and Grimgraj were sent by their boss to tie up some loose ends, namely the silversmith. They were the ones who killed him and ransacked the shop. He didn’t say the name of his boss, but he did divulge the location of their supposed hideout.</p><p>While the others were talking to Mange, I did a little bit of searching around Grimgraj’s body to no avail. I didn’t find any clues or evidence, but I did take his black, silk cloak as a trophy. With some cleaning up, it made a nice addition to my wardrobe. When the others were done with Mange, I left to find some city watchmen to take care of him and the crime scene.</p><p>I walked around the immediate area and eventually found a small group of guards to bother. I approached them and low and behold, the officer in charge was the same female captain who came to aid us during the Wild Night prisoner escape. She instantly recognized me and asked if there was anything I needed help with. I told her about the break-in at the Shining Star Silver and the culprit we apprehended. She then had her unit follow me, and I led them to the alley where the others were. Since the guards had control of the situation, we all decided to head out and investigate the potential hideout Mange had told us about. We kept that bit of information to ourselves for the time being and didn’t notify the city watch about it.</p><p>We took another skycab and went to the Clifftop area in Upper Dura. That was where the hideout was supposedly located. When we arrived at the location, we found an old water tower with a structure built at the base of it. We conducted a bit more reconnaissance from afar then devised a plan. Before continuing, Lost wanted to pick up his new weapon while Cloth wanted to get a few items before the raid. They left the group to take care of their errands while the rest of us kept watch of the hideout.</p><p>It was about to get dark when Lost and Cloth finally returned. When they did, we came up with a plan and went about setting it into motion. The party was split into two groups: the air assault team and ground assault team. Cloth was leading that air assault team which consisted of himself, his warforged dog Spot, and Hatchet. Meanwhile, I was in command of the ground assault team which consisted of myself, Lost, and Jess. Before things kicked off, I took the opportunity to try out the Oil of Silence I had. I pulled out one of the vials and applied the substance to my revolvers, using a rag to carefully apply the oil. When it was time to set the plan into action, we parted ways and got ready.</p><p>My team and I lay in wait away from the compound, remaining hidden while we watched Cloth, Spot, and Hatchet begin descending through the air after having jumped out from a skycab. Spot was tied to Cloth’s front side using rope, so only Cloth had to activate his Token of Featherfall to get them down safely. He managed to get down successfully and quietly, but Hatchet wasn’t so fortunate. Having never used the tokens before, she didn’t use hers in time and impacted the roof with a loud sound. Upon hearing the commotion, I face-palmed and hoped it didn’t attract any unwanted attention. We waited with baited breath until finally seeing Cloth at the edge of the water tower’s roof. He gave us the signal to advance then went to check on Hatchet.</p><p>I waved back and began infiltrating from below. I approached the structure below the water tower with my team, stepping as quietly and as stealthily as we could. It was dark out, but the ambient light from the moon made it just bright enough for me to see while outside. We stacked up on the front door and prepared to enter, checking for traps and the like. The exterior of the door seemed okay, but when I tried to open it, it was locked shut.</p><p>I thought for a moment then remembered I had a new crowbar in my bag. I took a second to pull it out then handed it to Lost. There was no way my skinny arms were going to get through the door, but someone as manly as Lost was just perfect for the job. He took the crowbar and moved up to the door, wedging the instrument into place. I told him to be as gentle yet firm as he could to prevent any loud and sudden noises. He gave me a nod and started slowly prying the door open using the tool. After a few tense moments, the door began to give way and he managed to get it open.</p><p>During that time, I could’ve sworn I heard the feint sound of a bell ringing, but I ignored it and tried to focus on the task at hand. I shouldn’t have though, because as soon as Lost got the door fully open, we heard the loud ringing of a bell that was tied to the door. Those of us on the ground assault team froze and listened for any sudden movements or voices inside the building. Lost handed the crowbar back to me and readied his weapon. After a few brief and tense moments, there was nothing but silence. The ringing slowly stopped and there was nothing else. Seeing nothing moving, Lost and Jess proceeded inside to look around while I remained just outside the door to keep watch. It was near pitch black in there, so I could hardly see without lighting a torch and giving away our presence, that was, if we hadn’t already.</p><p>I stowed the crowbar away and kept one of my revolvers at the ready. I kept my eyes scanning the surroundings outside the building for anything suspicious. Something wasn’t right; I could feel it. While I was standing there, I began hearing another feint noise, only it wasn’t ringing that time. It sounded sort of like a ticking sound coming from somewhere in the depths of the building. As I zoned in on the sound, it finally clicked in my head. The place was rigged to explode and that was the timer I was hearing.</p><p>Not worrying about stealth anymore, I shouted into the building that everyone should hurry up and grab whatever evidence they could. I continued on to say that the building was probably rigged to explode and they needed to get out of there as soon as possible. The enemy was probably nowhere around. I mean, who would want to be left behind in a building about to explode? I kept watch while everyone else scrambled to collect as much as they could before having to evacuate.</p><p>Lost and Jess did their best to find whatever was around them then rushed out the front door. I remained behind at the entrance and waited for the air assault team to hurry up and get out. Eventually, they came racing down the stairs and ran out the front. I was right behind them and just as we had gotten far enough away from the hideout, it exploded in a blaze of glory. I felt the concussive force of the blast at my back and was pushed forward a bit. Thankfully, none of us were hurt by shrapnel or the explosion itself.</p><p>We all stopped running and turned around to see the hideout in flames. Not wanting the fire to get out of hand, Lost headed off to notify some city watchmen about the situation. The rest of us just waited around and discussed what we were able to gather. Cloth and his team found a bunch of bottles and alchemical items upstairs. Lost and Jess managed to swipe some papers as well as a set of blueprints or something like that. I was kind of bummed because I had wasted a 250gp vial of Oil of Silence without firing a single shot. Oh well.</p><p>Not before long, Lost had returned with some watchmen and a familiar face- Sergeant Dolon. He was part of the group Lost had found, and he wasn’t too surprised to see us once again caught up in another incident. We gathered around and explained what happened to the sergeant. Once Sergeant Dolon had an idea of what happened, he led us back to his precinct where we gave our official statements. We also sorted through the evidence and handed over what we found as well. It was a shame the hideout was destroyed, but on the bright side, we prevented some unsuspecting person from coming by and getting hurt or potentially killed due to the booby-trapped building.</p><p>While we were giving out statements, one of the officers going through the evidence we collected came upon a name. They weren’t sure who it was, but it was found on the signature block of several questionable financial documents. After dealing with all the formalities at the precinct, we all decided to head home and get some rest. It was late at night and there wasn’t much more we could do. In the morning, we decided to head back to the precinct to meet with Baron Trelib d’Medani and let him know the situation so far.</p><p> </p><p>#</p><p>           </p><p>The next morning, we met up back at the precinct to await the Baron’s arrival. We talked with Sergeant Dolon, but he and his officers hadn’t made any new progress with the evidence we brought them. We waited around for a while then were told the Baron was running late. I couldn’t imagine why he was late. It wasn’t like we had less than three days to find his daughter or anything.</p><p>Anyway, while we were just sitting around, Lost decided to strike up a conversation with me to pass the time. We talked briefly about our personal lives, though, I didn’t get into too much detail with him. I began to learn a bit more about his past, and he mentioned washing up on the shore or something. His memory was a bit hazy about it all, so I figured he was suffering from amnesia or something. Maybe he fell overboard on a ship, and perhaps he was a sailor or mariner, but he couldn’t remember exactly.</p><p>Thankfully, the Baron didn’t keep us waiting for too long and finally showed up at the precinct. He didn’t have anything new for us and apologized for his tardiness. We let him know about what we found at the Shining Star Silver and the water tower hideout. He looked over the report and recognized the documents recovered from the hideout. He recommended visiting the bank and asking around for an employee by that name. It was worth a shot, so after thanking the Baron for his time, we left to check out the possible lead. Before leaving, we copied down the name on a scrap of paper.</p><p>The bank was busy as usual, so we tried to find an available clerk after entering the building. One finally freed up, and we went over to ask them about the name. It took a bit of negotiation, but we managed to get the information we needed from them. The person the name belong to did work at the bank but wasn’t currently present. We did manage to get their place of residence from the clerk, which was surprising enough, so we left the bank to find the employee in question.</p><p>The employee lived in an apartment complex, so we tried not to stick out like a sore thumb as we roamed through the hallways. We didn’t need to go scaring the residents as a group of armed adventures came strolling by. When we arrived at the apartment the employee lived at, Cloth took the lead and knocked on the door. As soon as the door was unlocked and cracked open a bit, Cloth barged in and began intimidating whoever was on the other side. The male dwarf was frightened and ended up being the one we were looking for. After making our stance clear to the man, we all sat down and asked him what he knew.</p><p>The older gentleman began to calm down after seeing that we meant him no harm as long as he cooperated. Seeing that we weren’t robbers or some sort of brutish band of criminals, he wanted to have some fun with us first. He asked us to tell him some stories about our adventures first before he talked. Since we were on a tight timetable, we firmly yet politely declined. Cloth told him that after our business was concluded, he’d come back and tell him a story or two. The old man relented and told us whatever information he could to help us out.</p><p>The bank employee said that the paperwork was for a sale he had overseen. The client he was helping was named Victor Saint-Demain, and he had purchased a condemned temple somewhere in the city. I can’t remember how we figured it out, but we discerned that the Victor guy was somehow connected to the escaped convicts. With the new information, we thanked the man and left his apartment to check out the temple.</p><p>We hailed a skycab and made our way over to the location to check it out. As our skycab soared overhead the temple, Cloth abruptly leapt off the side along with Spot. We watched as he plummeted through the air towards the roof of the crumbling structure. He must’ve been distracted because he misjudged the distance to the roof and activated his Token of Featherfall a bit too late. I was surprised the entire temple did come crashing down after he impacted the roof. The rest of us were content on letting the skycab land at the entrance before getting off.</p><p>After touching down, Lost, Jess, Hatchet, and I approached the front of the foreboding temple and kept an eye out for trouble. What use did criminals have with an abandoned temple I wondered? Lost and Jess decided to go around the perimeter of the temple first, so I waited with Hatchet at the front entrance until they got back. Once they did, we proceeded inside together and stood just inside the entrance.</p><p>The temple was empty, as was to be expected, except for two figures at the back of the temple. I tried my best to distinguish them and noticed a woman lying on the altar as well as a bugbear right beside her. The bugbear looked like one of the escaped convicts, but I couldn’t fully see the woman. As I alerted the others, the bugbear, who I identified as Durack the Masher, spotted us and began shouting out in some nonsensical language. I couldn’t make out what he was saying, but we later found out that the bugbear had no teeth and was actually speaking in Common. The others were able to discern what he was saying, and they told me that the bugbear was threatening to kill the woman if we got any closer.</p><p>Durack seemed a bit jumpy, so we proceeded forward carefully to try and stop him from acting. I quickly drew my guns and fired off a couple shots to get him unbalanced. The others then rushed ahead of me to attack him and save the woman. We assumed that the person lying there was the Baron’s daughter, but we were highly mistaken.</p><p>Lost dashed ahead of the group and arrived at the altar first. Before checking on the woman, he swiped Durack with his new guisarme to get him further away. The woman appeared battered, but when Lost asked her if she was all right, she brandished a dagger and attacked him. We were all shocked and as Lost backed away, the woman revealed herself to be the changeling Vrinn, one of the escaped convicts. It seemed that we had stumbled into a trap. We hadn’t heard from Cloth or Spot yet, so we just had to assume he was all right since we had our hands full at the moment.</p><p>The four of us engaged Durack and Vrinn, doing our best to quickly take them out so we could find Cloth and Spot. During the fighting, I had a misfire which was quite bothersome. I had the perfect shot lined up on the bugbear, but the damn cartridge had to dud out on me.</p><p>While we were battling, we heard Spot barking from a side room that had stairs leading up to the roof above. As we got better control over the battle, Hatchet left to investigate and found Spot there. She hurried upstairs with him and shouted back to us that Cloth was battling someone and a pair of lions. We told her to help him the best she could as we were still preoccupied by the bugbear and changeling.</p><p>After Hatchet left, the rest of us continued to focus on the threats in front of us. It took a bit longer than we expected, but we managed to take them both down and secured the first floor. Once it was clear, we rushed into the side room and began to ascend the stairs. Just as I had gotten up the first half of the stairs, there was a large crashing sound as the bell from the bell tower above came crashing down. Thankfully, I was on the landing and barely missed getting caught underneath it while the others were safely in the room’s doorway.</p><p>Once the dust had settled, we all looked on in horror and saw a bloodied, metallic corpse underneath the heavy, metal bell. At first, we thought it was Cloth, but then we noticed that it was Hatchet instead. I was shocked to say the least and just froze there for a few moments. It turned out that there was a woman trapped within the bell who turned out to be Zelina d’Medani, the Baron’s daughter. Hatchet had been trying to prevent the bell from falling at Cloth’s request since he was busy fighting off the enemies up there. Unfortunately, Hatchet couldn’t hold it up on her own and was caught underneath it when it eventually fell, crushing her to death.</p><p>As I was looking at Hatchet, Cloth came rushing down the stairs and saw her as well. He hurried to her side to check on her, but she was long gone. Enraged by the sight of his dead companion, Cloth bounded back up the stairs to finish off the enemy he was fighting against. I readied my guns and proceeded up with him along with Lost.</p><p>Meanwhile, the others went to help Zelina who was handcuffed to the bell and severely injured; though, the injuries were not life-threatening. Around that time, Asmundr, Vermundr, Layla, and Ada came by via skycab after having finished their job. They joined the others on the ground level and provided support wherever they could. After leaving Jess to tend to Zelina’s wounds, the rest of the group joined us and managed to help defeat the two lions still there.</p><p>Cloth told us that the man in charge of the operation was named Victor. He was the one Cloth had been fighting, but he had escaped by jumping off the roof. Still wanting revenge, Cloth took Layla’s Ring of Featherfall and followed after Victor along with Spot. The rest of us decided to take the roundabout route and follow after Cloth on foot. Before I left, I stood by Hatchet and took off my hat, saying a few brief words for her in my head as a sign of condolence. Even though I was somewhat skeptical of her, she died helping us out which was all the proof I needed to see that she was actually full of good intentions.</p><p>Before leaving the temple, we decided to leave Jess behind with Zelina to tend to her wounds and keep her safe. Once Zelina was well enough to move, we told Jess to bring her to the Clifftop Adventurers Guild to await our return. After ensuring Jess was okay on her own, we all headed out to provide support to Cloth.</p><p>To try and catch up, we took a skycab to get to the lower level where Cloth and Victor had jumped to. When we got off the skycab, we saw Spot in the distance and followed him on foot to Cloth’s location. After following Spot for some time, we caught up to Cloth, but he had lost Victor. To help in the search, Asmundr summoned a dog to help us continue tracking Victor. During our chase, we ran into a guard and quickly told him about the situation at the temple and what we were doing. Thinking about the direction we were running in, we noticed that we were heading towards a lightning-rail station. To try and get ahead of Victor, we took a skycab to the lighting-rail station and began searching around for him. Unfortunately, we didn’t find him and the trail seemed to go cold.</p><p>Having no other leads, we had no choice but to call off the chase for now. We decided to split up to take care of separate pieces of business before resuming once more. Lost and I went to the Clifftop Adventurers Guild to see if Jess and Zelina had made it there all right. Cloth and Layla went back to the temple to pick up Cloth’s sword and recover Hatchet’s body. Asmundr went to a House Sivis message station to send a message to the city watch.</p><p>When Lost and I arrived at our guild hall, we looked around and found Jess and Zelina safe and sound. We met up with them then escorted Zelina to a proper medical facility to get her patched up. The treatment she received was billed to her father, and while we were there, Lost and I got our wounds healed as well. When asked about payment for our treatment, I just told the doctors to put it on Zelina’s tab as part of the reward for saving her. After Zelina was fully healed up, Lost and I escorted her back to the Clifftop Adventurers Guild to await her father and the others.</p><p>While Lost, Jess, Zelina, and I were waiting around at the guild hall, the others finally arrived and joined us after completing their tasks. Eventually, Baron Trelib d’Medani arrived at the guild with his entourage and was finally reunited with his missing daughter. As a thanks for bringing back his daughter alive and well, the Baron gave us a sack containing 2,000gp; my cut consisted of 333gp. After catching up with his daughter, we followed the Baron back to his estate to talk about Victor and the remaining escaped convicts.</p><p>The Baron had been given an update regarding the evidence we found from the City Watch. They determined that the blueprints and other papers outlined a plan to attack a lightning-rail station. Victor’s target was Baron Trelib d’Medani himself and had been from the start. That was why his treasure had been stolen and his daughter abducted. The Baron had a scheduled ride on a lightning-rail the next day and Victor knew about it somehow. He planned to ram another lightning-rail into his in order to kill him. Fortunately, we knew about his plan and managed to come up with one of our own to lure him and the rest of his outfit into a trap.</p><p>We gathered around and began planning our ambush. The plan was rather simple, really. The others and I would lay in wait around the terminal, waiting for Victor to arrive. There was going to be a mockup of the Baron’s lightning-rail at the station using illusion magic. When Victor eventually came along with his lightning-rail to ram the Baron’s, we’d board his train and take him out. Seemed simple enough. When the plan was finalized, we prepared ourselves and went back to our places to sleep.</p><p> </p><p>#</p><p> </p><p>When the time came the next day, we met up at the target lightning-rail platform and began preparations. We evacuated the area of civilians while some House Medani people created the illusion of the Baron’s lightning-rail. The others and I took up various positions around the terminal, trying to blend in with the illusory crowd of people that was also created to bait the trap.</p><p>Time passed and eventually saw something in the distance along the tracks. Victor was right on time and his train was heading right for the trap. We prepared ourselves and watched as the rogue train went right through the illusory one and came to a stop. We caught sight of two conspicuous individuals towards the back of the incoming train. One of them was a gargoyle riding on top while another was hanging off the side. There was no doubt about it. It was the remaining two escaped convicts- Scrimshaw and Rregla the Gasper. We supposed they were there to confirm the Baron’s death or finish him off if he somehow survived the crash.</p><p>Scrimshaw and Rregla looked confused once their train hit nothing and came to a complete stop. Scrimshaw took to the air to look around while Rregla remained on the train. One of the House Medani guards with us snuck onto the train and ambushed Rregla from behind, tackling her onto the adjacent platform. Seeing that the trap had been sprung, we jumped into action to put an end to things. Scrimshaw saw us come out of hiding as the fake crowd disappeared. He engaged us directly in combat as well as Rregla after she had finished off the guard that attacked her.</p><p>I went after Rregla since Scrimshaw was flying around out of my guns’ optimal engagement range. Since Rregla was a non-flier, I had an easier time dealing with her. Even so, it was still a bit of a challenge as time went on. During the fight with Rregla, she grappled onto Spot and used him as a shield. At one point, I thought I had a clear shot on her, but she moved at the last second and I accidentally hit Spot. I felt so bad for the poor metal pup, but I made it up to him afterwards. Thankfully, it wasn’t a more serious shot. Anyway, since shooting was too dangerous, I had to resort to melee combat which I wasn’t a big fan of. I got in close and managed to pistol whip her, knocking her to the ground. Spot was released from her grasp and Vermundr came to finish her off. Once she was taken care of, we all directed our attention to Scrimshaw, the last convict.</p><p>By the time we got over to join the others, Asmundr and Jess had summoned eagles to fight Scrimshaw in the air. Their combined might was just enough to bring him down to the ground, and the gargoyle was unable to fly anymore. At that time, the others managed to subdue and apprehend him using a set of manacles.</p><p>With Scrimshaw in our custody, the others decided to question him a bit before handing him over to the proper authorities. While they were doing that, I went off to loot Rregla before anyone else got to her. I took her red coat with tails as well as her fine, green doublet. In addition to that, I nabbed her cigar box which contained six star-anise cigars and ten tindertwigs. Even though I had given up smoking, there was no harm in hanging on them for… posterity’s sake.</p><p>I’m not sure what happened with Scrimshaw, but when I finally came over to see what the others were doing, he was dead. The others told me that Scrimshaw tried to attack them and that Cloth had to kill him, but the prisoner was still cuffed and the weapon on his body looked very similar to a knife that Lost had. It was all very suspicious, but in the end, I just shrugged it off. The job was to bring the convicts in dead or alive, so it didn’t matter to me. After the rest of the House Medani guards and City Watchmen came over, Lost began talking with the captain in charge.</p><p>While they were chatting, I apologized to Cloth about shooting Spot during the fight earlier. He told me it was fine and things like that just happened in combat. It was an accident and it wasn’t like I shot him on purpose. Once the Watch had control of the situation at the lightning-rail station, the others and I went to report back to the Baron at his estate.</p><p>Baron Trelib d’Medani was thankful that the operation was a success and that the assassination had been thwarted. Unfortunately, Victor was still at large and still out there somewhere. The Baron said he’d put some of his men in charge of apprehending him, so we didn’t need to worry about it anymore. As for our reward, he directed us to the Watch station to collect it. After seeing the Baron, we left the House Medani estate to go get our reward.</p><p>At the Watch precinct, we talked with one of the officers there and told them we wanted to collect the bounty for the six escaped convicts. The officer was aware of our success and paid us each 600gp for our services. After receiving our gold, we all split up to do our own thing.</p><p>Lost and Layla were going to shop around, so I decided to go with them for the time being. We passed by a curious-looking potion shop and decided to check out its wares. There wasn’t anything of interest to me, so I left the group to head off on my own. The shop keep kind of creeped me out. After that, I stopped by Markus’ and restocked on ammunition. I wandered around the shopping district a bit more before heading on back home. When I got back to my apartment, I cleaned up the red jacket I looted from Rregla and was about to put it in my wardrobe. Then I thought of something else and placed it around the mannequin along with the cloak I had gotten earlier. My mannequin was looking pretty snazzy.</p><p> </p><p>#</p><p> </p><p>The next day. I attended Hatchet’s funeral which was held in the Cogs. Cloth had brought Hatchet to meet Stoke and the rest of the warforged down there, so she was like family to them. During the ceremony, I took off my hat and lowered my head as Cloth gave a heart-felt speech in Hatchet’s memory. It reminded me of all the funerals I attended for dead comrades during the war. Being there made me feel pretty bad, so I didn’t stay around for too long.</p><p>After leaving the funeral, I went to get Spot a gift for accidentally shooting him the day before. Seeing him at the funeral reminded me of it and I was a bit sorry that I hadn’t done it sooner. I went to a pet store and asked for something for a warforged dog. The owner was unsure he had anything that would suit it, so he offered me what he had which was stuff for regular dogs. I didn’t think Spot would like any of it, so I thanked him for his time and left to find something else. Then I passed by a hardware store and thought I could find something there. I ended up buying a metal chain that Spot could mess with. I figured it was like a rope toy for regular dogs.</p><p>I took the chain and went to see if Cloth was home, so I could give it to Spot. I figured the funeral was over by then, so hopefully he was home. After a brief walk, I arrived at Cloth’s apartment and knocked on the door. Thankfully, Cloth was there and so was Spot. I told him I had a gift for Spot and handed over the metal chain as a peace offering. Spot seemed to not even remember getting shot by me and took the chain happily. Cloth appreciated the gesture and said he had something for me as well. Jess had left earlier while he was at the funeral and had left behind a note. In her note, she said that her ship had come by to pick her up and left behind all the items she no longer needed, including her coin purse. Cloth decided to split the coins up between me and the others, so he gave me my share of 600gp. I thanked Cloth for the extra gold then left to head back home.</p>
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<a name="section0016"><h2>16. Feeling Frosty</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>After breakfast the next day, I went to the Clifftop Adventurers Guild to meet up with Cloth and the others to find another job. I was one of the first ones to arrive at the Guild, so I just sat around and waited for the others. While I was waiting, I happened to see the provost and Lhara having a heated discussion at a nearby table in the tavern. After the provost had left Lhara’s table, I went over to see what was up since the others hadn’t arrived yet.</p><p>Lhara and I talked for a bit, and she told me what she and the provost were discussing just then. The provost had an urgent mission that needed to be done, and he wanted Lhara to find someone to do it as soon as possible. The previous group he had contracted to do it hadn’t returned, and he was getting anxious. Lhara gave me a brief overview of the mission, and I told her I’d talk it over with the others once they arrived. She thanked me then left to attend to some of her other duties. I returned to my previous table and continued to wait for the rest of the group.</p><p>When they finally arrived, we talked about new work opportunities. Before I could mention the mission Lhara had available, Cloth spoke up first. Remembering his talk with the special agent on the lightning-rail ride back to Sharn, he reminded us of the enslaved warforged in Zilargo. He still wanted to set them free and the longer we waited, the longer they had to suffer in captivity. Listening to his plight, I held my tongue for the moment, since I figured he’d want to get that done first anyway. We all talked about it and agreed on helping him free the warforged.</p><p>Before we left, Layla handed out some presents for the rest of us. She had purchased Rings of Featherfall for each of us, since we were so fond of aerial insertions. It was also a safety precaution, since we were so prone to jumping off high places. I thanked her for her thoughtfulness and slid the ring on one of my fingers. While we were still together, Cloth said he planned to charter and pay for an airship to take us into Zilargo. After talking things over, we all left to prepare for the mission.</p><p>Since we were going into the cold mountains of Zilargo, I decided to get a few cold-weather items in the market. I picked up a long-sleeve turtleneck shirt, thick winter socks, two-weeks’ worth of rations, a winter blanket, and a new pillow. I also paid the next month’s rent in advance, since we were going to be away for a while. It was going to take around two weeks of hiking to get to the camp from our drop-off point.</p><p>Once everyone was ready to go, we all met up at the docking area where Cloth’s chartered airship was. We boarded the airship and began making our way towards the nation of Zilargo. The trip was uneventful and we soon found ourselves approaching Baron’s Landing at the base of the Howling Peaks mountain range.</p><p>When the airship was in position, we thanked the captain and jumped off the side of the ship. Our new rings worked perfectly, and we all landed safely on the ground after an easy descent. Unsure of where to go, we wandered around the settlement, asking for the best way to climb the mountains. After a bit of small talk, we eventually found our way and began our two-week hike into the snowy mountains.</p><p>Along the way, we encountered a strange traveler heading in the opposite direction. He was a gnome traveling alone and had a certain creepy demeanor to him. We couldn’t exactly pinpoint what it was exactly, but we all agreed that there was something off about him. Cloth thought he was a cannibal for some reason, but he was probably just joking. When we were close enough, the gnome greeted us in a welcoming manner and had a small conversation with us about food or something. I wasn’t paying full attention as I was still trying to get used to the snow. The chat didn’t last long, and we passed each other as we continued on our way.</p><p>Over the next few days, we ended up seeing no one else on the mountain trail. I don’t know what it was, but by the fourth day, I was feeling rather beat and fatigued. I wasn’t sure if it was the cold or the terrain, but I was unusually tired. The party decided to stop for the day and let me rest to see if I got any better. I thanked them and did my best to rest up before continuing on the next day.</p><p>While we were camping out, the topic of Layla’s enchanted map came up. She mentioned that there were numerous footsteps following ours on the map, yet there was no one else around us. We didn’t detect any magic or sense any ghost or invisible persons, so we figured either the map was broken or there was some magical element to it that we didn’t understand. She acquired the oddity a while ago, and I can’t remember how or where she got it. It was a curious item which tracked the whereabouts of whoever wrote their name onto it. When she first got it, she figured it was a good idea to write our names in it so we didn’t lose track of each other. Some of the others didn’t want to, but at the time, I didn’t see any harm in doing so and wrote my name in it along with Lost and Layla herself. As we saw the increasing number of people’s footsteps, those of us who wrote our names in the map began to regret our decision in doing so, feeling a bit uneasy about the magical item’s true nature. The others continued to chat, but I didn’t stay up long and retired to my tent to get some rest.</p><p>For the next few days, I continued to feel sick and wasn’t getting much better than before. In fact, I was feeling worse as time went on. It was so bad that I couldn’t continue on my own, so I hopped into one of Spot’s Bags of Holding with my head sticking out so I didn’t suffocate. The last thing I remembered before blacking out was the freezing cold nipping at my nose and the mechanical noises of Spot walking along.</p><p> </p><p>#</p><p> </p><p>When I finally awoke, I found myself surprisingly back in my room at the apartment. At first, I thought I was dreaming or in some sort of hallucination due to my illness, but I was really back in Sharn. My condition on the mountain had worsened and I eventually passed out due to exhaustion brought on by my illness. The others determined that I had been poisoned and couldn’t fully fix me using magic, but Cloth managed to stabilize me at least. Not wanting me to get worse and potentially die, Layla and Asmundr elected to bring me back down the mountain and take me back to Sharn. Meanwhile, Cloth, Spot, and Lost continued on to finish the mission by themselves.</p><p>It had been a few days since then, and Layla had been taking care of me all the while. I thanked her for being such a good friend and doing all that for me. After I was all right and seemingly fully healed, she left me on my own and went about doing her own thing.</p><p>Cloth, Spot, and Lost hadn’t returned, so I just waited around until they finished the job. In the upcoming weeks, I received a letter from Cloth saying that he, Spot, and Lost were fine and had completed the mission, freeing the warforged slaves they came across. Prior to their arrival, they wanted the rest of us to meet them at the caravan station in Sharn at an appointed time.</p><p>After eight weeks had passed since Layla, Asmundr, and I had returned from the trip to Zilargo, the rest of the group finally came back. By then, Layla and Asmundr had gone off on their own to take on another mission, so I was left to meet the others at the caravan station. I got to the station a bit early to wait around for Cloth and the others to arrive. Eventually, they came in on a carriage accompanied by a group of warforged. Cloth and Lost were happy to see me looking healthy, and we caught up on things since we last saw each other.</p><p>They had been busy and had successfully freed a group of warforged from the camp in Zilargo. It took a lot longer than expected, since they apprehended the head of the camp, a gnome named Zildon. They took him to the town of Dragonroost in Zilargo and handed him over to the City Watch there to answer for his crimes. After taking care of the slave-driver, Cloth and Lost stopped by Wroat on the way back to Sharn. There, they met up with the covert agent who gave them the tip about the warforged. She thanked them for a job well done and hoped they didn’t leave any evidence behind that would tie the operation to Breland in any way.</p><p>When they were done telling me how things went, I told them that Layla and Asmundr were away on business. They said that was fine and after a brief talk, Cloth said he had a present for me and handed me what looked like a rolled up canvas. He told me it was an enchanted item called a Magical Campsite. When unrolled, a campsite complete with a tent, campfire, and other amenities popped up. It also came with a bowl of dates that magically refilled itself along with a pitcher of clean drinking water which did the same thing. I thanked him for the gift and stowed it away.</p><p>After catching up on things, I accompanied Cloth and Lost as they brought the free warforged to the Cogs. A while ago, Cloth had worked with Stoke and Drummond to rent some office space there in the Cogs to start up a warforged career planning center. Since we had a bunch of warforged looking for jobs, we thought that was the perfect place to bring them. We met up with Stoke, who was in charge of the career center, and began introducing him to the new group. They were an odd bunch, and Stoke did his best to find them a career suiting their individual personalities. After making sure the warforged were adequately taken care of, I followed Cloth and Lost back topside. They wanted to check out a secret merchant that the King’s Citadel agent had told them about.</p><p>I continued to follow Cloth and found myself in front of a manhole between two buildings in Lower Sharn. It was indeed a place you wouldn’t expect to find a merchant, so I trusted in Cloth’s information. Cloth lifted the manhole and Lost went down to investigate. He said it was clear and that he saw a merchant’s stall a bit down the way. Seeing that it was safe, Cloth and I went down to join him.</p><p>We approached the stall and found a blind tabaxi manning it. His named was Smoking Mirror, and he was the contact that the agent had mentioned to Cloth and Lost. He was a peculiar fellow and had some interesting things to sell as well as knowledge to share. I ended up browsing his wares and bought a small pouch containing three Daylight Pellets. When struck against a hard surface, they emitted actual daylight for a brief moment whereas the sunrod only emitted regular light. The others bought some items as well, but I can’t remember what they were.</p><p>While we were there, Lost asked the merchant if he knew anything about the enchanted map Layla had procured. Lost had it in his possession at the time and handed it over for Smoking Mirror to inspect. He gave it a look over and told us that it was an evil and cursed item. Whoever signed their names into the book had their souls bound to it and were forced to follow it after death. That wasn’t good considering I had signed my name into it along with a few others in the group. After concluding our business with Smoking Mirror, we left to head to the Augury at Clifftop to get the map situation taken care of.</p><p>At the Augury, we sought out anyone who could help lift the curse and remove our names from the enchanted book. We met a person there named Hestia, and she gladly used her magic to help us… for a fee that was. My name was removed from the book as well as Lost’s and Layla’s. As for the long list of other unfortunate persons, we couldn’t help them as it would’ve been too pricey for us. After taking care of that, we decided to head to the Clifftop Adventurers Guild to find a mission to do.</p><p>On the way there, I informed Cloth and Lost about the mission Lhara told me about a while ago. Since we had nothing else on our mind to do, we decided to go with that. When we got to the guild hall, we looked around and met up with Lhara to go over the details again. The provost was still hounding her to get the job done, so she was glad we were finally available to take on the task. Despite Layla and Asmundr being away on other business, we decided that it was probably easy enough for the three of us to undertake on our own.</p><p>The mission Lhara wanted us to do involved finding a particular flower on some far away island in the North. The flower was an artifact of sorts, something called a Hoarfrost Flower. It was located on Icewhite Island at some obscure location. Lhara told us that the provost first hired a group of adventurers from the Deathsgate Guild, but they hadn’t been heard from in weeks. He feared that they might’ve failed or worse, been killed. Lhara said that she arranged for air transportation to get us as far as Stormhome in Aundair. From there, we had to arrange transport on our own to Icewhite Island by water. I wasn’t looking forward to that part of the trip, but I told myself I’d deal with it when the time came.</p><p>Lhara had also procured some supplies for us to help survive the harsh cold climate of the northern islands. She had a cold weather survival pack prepared for each of us which included a heavy-duty bedroll, thick clothes, a mess kit, a tinderbox, several torches, rations, and a waterskin. Most of that stuff I already had, so I just took what I needed and merged it with my current gear. The rest I stored back at the apartment as backups. We each also got a climber’s pack which had individual climbing gear. After getting everything we needed, we left to prepare for the journey.</p><p>I went back to my apartment and gathered my things, making sure I had everything I needed to brave the cold once more. Before leaving, I paid my rent in advance for the next couple of months just in case we were away for a while. After I was ready to go, I met up with Cloth and Lost at the airship docks to get on the one that Lhara had arranged for us.</p><p>Together, we met the captain and boarded his ship. The trip to Stormhome was uneventful, taking around a week to get there by air. I could already feel the chilly air during our travels, so I changed into my cold-weather outfit during the flight. When we arrived at our destination, we jumped off the side like usual and landed in the settlement of Stormhome.</p><p>Before doing anything else, I looked around for anything to help my survivability while out on the water. I forgot to take care of that while we were in Sharn, so I did my best to find whatever I could while Cloth and Lost secured passage for us on a ship. I began wandering around the docks and found some life-vests for sale. They were padded vests that helped the wearer stay afloat without having to do much of anything. I immediately bought one and put it on, despite me looking awkward in the bright-orange padded vest.</p><p>I re-joined the others, and they told me they had secured transportation via a chartered boat. After talking with the captain, they led us to their boat which was named the “Undeniable”. It was an odd name, but I didn’t question the captain about it. As long as it was sturdy and didn’t sink, I didn’t care what it was called.</p><p>The trip to Icewhite Island was going to take a few days, so I had to do my best to keep it together. During the journey, I remained down below in the crew quarters for most of the trip, staying as close as I could to the center of the boat. Being out on open water was something I always hated.</p><p>As we approached our destination, the temperature took a dive and the ship began to freeze. The water elemental powering the ship couldn’t take the immense cold and froze up. The crew couldn’t control the ship, and it ended up impacting the ice sheet ahead of us on the island. The ship became entrenched in the ice but was still structurally sound. The crew quickly began conducting repairs while also trying to free the ship from the ice. The captain estimated that it’d take two to three days to finish. There was also a storm brewing in the distance and the captain wanted to be gone by the time it showed up. If the ship were to get caught in it, they wouldn’t be able to make it back to Stormhome. He gave us until the time repairs were finished to complete our objectives. If we weren’t back by then, he was going to leave whether we were on the ship or not in order to beat the storm. We assured him we’d be done by then and immediately set off to find the artifact.</p><p>Lhara told us there was some sort of tower or spire on the island that held the flower at the top. All we had to do was go in and get it. Of course, it was easier said than done, so we trudged on through the snow towards the spire’s location.</p><p>Along our hike, we saw what looked like a shipwreck in the ice. Since it was on the way, we decided to check it out despite our time limit. We went on over and found it abandoned with no signs of life around, either living or dead. We did, however, find a chest inlaid with ivory dragon figures and containing jewelry worth 150gp. We quickly stuffed the chest into Cloth’s bag to look through later then continued on.</p><p>Shortly after moving on from the shipwreck, we were caught in a slight blizzard. The wind and snow obscured our vision as our speed was significantly slowed down. While we were hiking, Cloth and Spot encountered some thin ice and fell into the water below. I had no idea we were still over the water and freaked out a bit. As they began to sank, Lost broke me out of my fright and hurried to help them out of the water. I quickly came to his aid, and we threw in some rope to pull them out. It took some effort, mostly on Lost’s part, but we managed to pull Cloth and Spot out of the hole. Cloth had grabbed on to Spot with one arm and the rope with his other. Cloth was thankful and quickly went about drying himself off before he froze over. Once he was more or less dry, we continued on, so he could keep his joints moving which prevented them from further freezing over.</p><p>The blizzard continued to pick up and subjected us to the elements even further. Continuing on our way towards the spire in the distance, we encountered quite the challenge which halted us completely. All of a sudden, we began to hear a loud hissing sound which resembled steam or something like that. Then the ground began to shake as something very large emerged from beneath the snow and towered high above us. It was a remorhaz, and it had its sights locked on the four of us. The heat radiating from its body melted the snow immediately around it as the steam rose up from the rapidly thawing ground.</p><p>We were instantly caught off guard as we quickly brandished our weapons to defend ourselves. The battle was tough as the melee fighters had a hard time landing hits on the creature. Not that it was hard to hit, it was just that the immense heat coming from the remorhaz wasn’t good for the metal weapons the others were using. I was fine since I attacked at range with disposable ammunition, but their weapons had to physically touch the enemy to deal damage. It was like fighting the fire elementals back in Whitehearth.</p><p>During the battle, Cloth got grappled by the creature which was causing him to overheat. To free him, I took a shot at the insect-like creature but accidentally grazed Cloth in the process. Shortly after that, my gun misfired due to the cold. I was really off my game during that fight. Thankfully, Cloth managed to break loose and we ended up taking the creature down.</p><p>The fight, however, didn’t go without its casualties. Cloth and Spot were severely injured, and he and Lost had both lost their weapons. Cloth had lost his primary weapon, which was his longsword, and Lost had lost one of his primary polearms, his ransoor. In the meantime, I gave Cloth my House Cannith shortsword to use as a temporary backup. It was sort of an apology for hitting him earlier. Lost had another weapon with him, so he used that in lieu of his broken one.</p><p>Before moving on, we took some time to rest near the corpse of the remorhaz. The heat was a refreshing break from the blizzard which had begun to subside slightly. I rolled out my Magical Campsite, which had I dubbed my “Personal Oasis”, and allowed the others to join me in the tent. The others tended to their wounds while I did my best to keep warm and out of the blizzard. I gave my revolvers a look over as I performed some maintenance. The body of the remorhaz next to us eventually began melting away at the ice beneath it, causing the corpse to sink down into the ground. We decided to rest there for the remainder of the day and continue on in the morning.</p><p> </p><p>#</p><p> </p><p>When I woke up the next day, the blizzard had died down and it was once again clear outside. It was still cold, of course, but at least it wasn’t windy or snowing. The rest of the journey to the spire was easy-going and I was actually enjoying myself a little. Trekking through the snow and the bright-white surroundings were pretty to look at. At least it wasn’t the Mournland.</p><p>As we approached the spire, the blizzard picked up again. We remained on-guard and began making our way up to the entrance at the base of the structure. There was a large door that was ajar, so we carefully opened it up and peeked inside. Someone had been there recently, so we remained as quiet as we could while proceeding into the room. I then began to hear voices coming from a room up ahead and notified the others. While I was trying to make out what the people were saying, I somewhat recognized the voices but couldn’t right away remember from where.</p><p>I peeked into the room and then it all made sense. The voices belonged to the Deathsgate Guild members, but they weren’t just any Deathsgate Guild members. They the same ones who did the initiation ceremony with us back when we first joined the Clifftop Adventurers Guild. Seeing as they were familiar to us, we decided to confront them verbally and ask what they were doing there. We had our weapons at the ready but tried not to give off a hostile vibe as we entered the room.</p><p>The Deathsgate Guild members noticed us enter and recognized us, preparing to defend themselves if necessary. We showed them we meant no harm and just wanted to talk first. They kept their guard up and answered our questions since they weren’t interested in a fight either. They looked tired and worn out, almost as if they had been there for a while. They explained that they were the ones the provost from our guild first hired to retrieve the Hoarfrost Flower. In the beginning, there were seven of them, but as soon as they reached the island, disaster struck. They got shipwrecked, and when they finally got to the tower, they lost four of their members due to traps they encountered in the spire. Since then, they had been stranded with little supplies and no way of continuing with the mission.</p><p>We listened to their story and began to feel a bit sorry for them. Cloth then offered to team up with them and help get them off the island. In exchange for helping us get the Hoarfrost Flower, we’d allow them to accompany us on our ship. The reward for completing the mission, though, was to be claimed by us only. The Deathsgate guys were a bit sour due to the provisions of our agreement, but they had no choice if they wanted to leave the island alive. They agreed to our terms and prepared to continue into the tower which had already claimed four of their companions.</p><p>There was a puzzle in the room that unlocked the door leading further into the spire. The Deathsgate guys got the puzzle wrong which triggered a trap that got their mates killed. I took a gander at the puzzle and easily figured it out. After solving the puzzle, the door opened and we were allowed to continue on. I wasn’t normally good at solving riddles and stuff, but that one was plain easy. I was surprised the Deathsgate guys got it wrong, but I guess it only proved the stereotype that they weren’t the brightest guild around. And to think I almost joined up with that crew before deciding on the Clifftop Adventurers Guild.</p><p>We carefully led the way while the Deathsgate guys followed close behind. We proceeded up a staircase until we were blocked by another door. We didn’t sense any traps but decided to use one of the Deathsgate guys to open the door anyway. The male orc volunteered to prove to his comrades that he wasn’t a wimp and moved to the front of the group. The door wasn’t locked, so when he opened it up, we found ourselves back outside only higher up the spire. We moved onto the balcony and began walking up an incline.</p><p>At the top, there was another door that led back into the spire’s interior except it seemed to be frozen shut. One of the Deathsgate members used their fire magic to try and thaw the door, but it only agitated an ooze that was hidden nearby. It lashed out and began attacking us, blocking the path forward. During the fight, an ice monster arrived on the wind, but Lost quickly took it out while the rest of us focused on the ooze. I got the final hit in when I landed a critical shot on it. The ooze began to fall apart and dissolve as it moved out of our way, allowing the orc Deathsgate member to move ahead of us and shove open the door.</p><p>Before advancing, we looked around for anything worth taking. Cloth found a Ring of Guidance and decided to give it to me to help my aim. I guess he figured that I had a hard time shooting with only one eye, so I just thanked him and took the ring. Despite my handicap, I was still as accurate as ever and the ring only made things better.</p><p>After quickly looking around, we made our way back inside the spire to escape the blizzard. We went up another staircase and arrived at an open room, seeing five ice sculptures within. There was a large ice sculpture at the opposite end of the room with two smaller ones flanking us on each wall to our left and right. The sculptures were of humanoid figures, dwarven most likely, and immediately seemed suspicious to Lost, Cloth, and I. With our luck, they were probably going to come to life via magic and attack us, which was exactly what they did.</p><p>As we entered into the room, they started to move on their own and attack us. We took them down with little to no problem then began securing the area. While we were looking around, a spiral ice staircase began to form where the large ice statue used to be. We carefully made our way up and arrived at the top of the spire. There was some sort of nursery there, but there weren’t any plants around, at least, not at first glance. We spread out and searched the area for the artifact, careful to watch our step.</p><p>One of us then spotted a lone flower in a separate flowerbed. It had to be the artifact we were looking for. Cloth fashioned a box made of ice to house the flower in during transport. The flower was cold to the touch and we didn’t want it to melt before we got it back to the guild hall. After the flower was secure in the box, Cloth stashed it in his Bag of Holding. Shortly after we had removed the Hoarfrost Flower from its flowerbed, the tower began to rapidly melt.</p><p>With the flower safely in our possession, we hurried back down the spiral staircase and out onto the balcony. Chunks of the ice ceiling began to fall down on us, so we had to mind our surroundings as we made our way back outside. It was still a blizzard outside, but that wasn’t the problem. The problem was getting down to the ground before the tower fully collapsed with us still inside.</p><p>Thankfully, we had Rings of Featherfall on, well… Cloth, Lost, and I did at least. Leaving the Deathsgate members to fend for themselves, the three of us jumped off the edge and began safely descending down towards the ground. Spot was being carried by Cloth and didn’t have to worry about a thing. As we jumped, the Deathsgate guys just looked on in shock before the still collapsing tower broke them out of their stupor. They continued through the tower and barely made it out before the tower came completely crashing down.</p><p>Meanwhile, the others and I touched down harmlessly on the ground and waited for the Deathsgate guys to meet up with us. We put some distance between us and the tower as chunks of ice continued to fall from above. Water was also rushing out the front door as the tower continued to melt as well. Shortly after we had landed, the Deathsgate guys came rushing out of the tower and came over to us, soaked and shivering from the cold water. As the last pieces of debris came crashing down, the blizzard started to die down and eventually dissipate. The Deathsgate members were still a bit in shock after having ran for their lives and almost died. We welcomed them back and apologized for the sudden change in escape plans. They said it was no hard feelings and probably would’ve done the same thing if they were in our shoes. With the objective complete, we all began making our way to our ship to head back home.</p><p>The trip back to our ship was a lot more relaxing than the one to the tower. The blizzard was gone, there were no monsters, and we didn’t have to rush as much. We were on schedule and perhaps even a bit ahead of it. I got to take in the winter scenery and overall enjoy myself better as we walked along.</p><p>When we got back to where we disembarked, the ship was thankfully still there. Repairs were still underway, and they were predicted to be completed by the following day. Once they were finished, we’d make our way back to Stormhome and keep ahead of the approaching storm. While we waited, we set up camp and helped out however we could to speed things along.</p><p>The next day, the crew finished up repairs before noon and we were back on the water again. Like last time, I stayed below deck and away from the water’s edge. Since embarking on the journey to Icewhite Island, I had kept on my life-vest and didn’t intend to take it off until we were safely back on the mainland.</p><p>Upon arriving back at Stormhome, the Deathsgate guys thanked us for saving them then went off on their own to find their way back to Sharn. We secured travel onboard an airship and rode that back to Sharn. It was a bit pricey, but it was the most convenient way of traveling the great distance back home.</p><p>When we got back to the city, we went straight to the Clifftop Adventurers Guild to hand over the flower. Cloth had been checking on it periodically, and the ice box it was in remained intact throughout the journey. Lhara was glad to see us back alive and with the artifact. We sat around a table and told her about how perilous our adventure was. We also mentioned the loss of personal property in the forms of Cloth’s sword and Lost’s polearm during it. Lhara was apologetic to hear about our plight and handed each of us 250gp as a reward for a job well done. It was nowhere near the price of a new replacement weapon, but it was better than nothing. We all decided that a group fund was in order for emergencies and put the money we just got into it to start it off. It wasn’t like I had lost anything, so I really didn’t need the money at the moment. After handing over the artifact, Lhara told us she wanted to meet tomorrow then left to tell the provost the good news.</p><p>Once we had taken care of business, we all left the guild hall to do our own thing. It was already late in the afternoon, so I didn’t do much. I just restocked on ammunition and supplies then headed home. Layla still wasn’t back from whatever she was doing with Asmundr, so I had the entire apartment to myself.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0017"><h2>17. Tomb Raider</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The next day, I met up with the others at the guild hall to see what Lhara wanted to talk about. Layla and Asmundr weren’t around, so it was just Lost, Cloth, and I. When we got there, we found Lhara along with three veteran guild members accompanying her. She had asked around for a few well-experienced members to help train us for the next week or so as a sign of gratitude for our hard work. All the costs were covered by the guild and it was purely voluntary. Of course, we accepted the offer as we were not ones to pass up good opportunities like that.</p><p>I got paired up with a skilled archer who went by the alias Bullseye. Lost and Cloth went with the other two, Hestia, an elf who was more than three hundred years old but still looked like an adolescent, and a warforged named Solomon. Our training lasted for a week and we learned a lot from our mentors’ instruction.</p><p>During the week of training, we also took care of some other pieces of business while we were in Sharn. Lost sold the jewelry we found on the wrecked ship from Icewhite Island. He gave Cloth and I a share of 50gp each.</p><p>On one of the first few days, I went and got myself a nice massage after not having gotten one in a while. All the training and adventuring in the cold climates made my body ache, so a nice, soothing massage was in order to remedy that. Like usual, I thoroughly enjoyed myself.</p><p>Later on during the week, Cloth had done some shopping around for a new sword, one to replace the one he lost while fighting against the remorhaz. He eventually found one at Smoking Mirror’s item stand in the sewers, but unfortunately, he was short on money. He then came to me asking for a loan and I happily obliged. I gave him a loan of 3500gp, interest-free and without any particular time line for paying me back. As long as I got the money back eventually, then we were good. He was a trustworthy fellow and I knew I was going to be paid back in full at some time or another. To make the agreement official, he wrote up a contract and signed it. After I signed it, he allowed me to keep the document for safekeeping. After buying his new sword, he gave me back the one I lent him. It still looked good and I was glad he didn’t ruin it while he had it.</p><p>After our week of training, Cloth, Lost and I headed out to follow a new lead regarding a possible job for us to do. It was going to take us back to the Cogs, so I wasn’t looking forward to that too much. Cloth had met up with Ada at one point and learned about a potential problem brewing in the Cogs. Ada also wanted to accompany us on our next mission after hearing about our exploits, so she was tagging along.</p><p>While we were in the Cogs, we checked up on Stoke and the freed warforged to see how they were doing. It seemed that they were all trying their best to fit in however they could, so that was good at least. The career planning center was also doing well and running smoothly. Stoke told us that Drummond hadn’t been giving him any trouble, so that was reassuring to hear.</p><p>Cloth, Lost, Ada, and I continued on from there to seek out a priest who had information on the job opportunity. He was supposedly located at the Tane Foundry within Khyber’s Gate. Walking through the Cogs, we arrived at the foundry and approached the two guards posted at the gate. We asked where we could find the priest named Olakki, and they directed us to the nearby tavern.</p><p>Seeing where the guards were pointing to, we made our way over to the tavern and went inside. When we entered, we found the priest sitting at a table along with another individual. The other person’s name was Mulrick, and he was the owner of the foundry we were at. We briefly introduced ourselves and sat down at their table to talk business.</p><p>Mulrick wanted us to take care of an infestation that had been plaguing his foundry. One of his employees, the bugbear priest named Olakki, couldn’t handle the problem on his own, so the call was put out for help. He told us a vague description of the creatures giving him and his workers problems. They were insect-like in nature, had hard carapaces, and deadly claws or pincers. He was willing to give us 500gp in total as a reward for the complete extermination of the pests. Mulrick told us that the creatures seemed to be originating from a nearby ruins, and that was all he had for us. He had already lost several of his security personnel to the creatures, so the sooner we were able to solve the problem, the better.</p><p>Since the threat could potentially affect his fellow warforged at the career planning office, Cloth accepted the job offer. We told Mulrick we were going to gear up first then return to begin the extermination. Once we had all the information they had for us, we left the foundry and returned back topside to get a few supplies. I picked up a couple of Potions of Cure Light Wounds then rendezvoused with the others. After we had gotten everything we needed, we returned to the Cogs and made our way to the infested ruins.</p><p>As we were approaching the ruins, we began to see the remnants of a battle between some of the company’s guards and the creatures in question. We carefully entered the courtyard and got a closer look at a few of the dead corpses. Upon closer inspection, we determined that they were kruthiks. We also spotted several tracks leading further into the ruins, so we followed after them and came to a suspicious-looking chamber.</p><p>Things didn’t feel right ahead of us, so we approached with utmost caution. Our senses proved to be on point as we were then ambushed by a group of kruthiks. There were six small ones which were most likely hatchlings, three normal, full-grown ones, and two flying ones. I was raring to go and was off to a good start, taking out five of the hatchlings on my own. The rest of the group managed all right, but our tagalong didn’t fare as well. Ada was severely injured by one of the flying ones, but the others tended to her wounds.</p><p>While they were helping Ada, I looked around and went over to the giant metal door nearby. It was locked, so I went back to see how the others were doing. Ada was back on her feet and had found a bag on the ground. Inside, there was a blood-soaked letter and a journal along with some old coins. She read the letter and journal and discovered that the previous owner of the items possessed a key, but it was missing from the pack. The key supposedly went to the metal door, so we looked around for it. It was a long shot finding a random key around, but we tried anyway.</p><p>There was a pyramid of bones and skulls in the room we were in, and at the top there was some sort of metal rod or something. Cloth went over to investigate it and pulled it out from the pyramid. It was some sort of battle standard and had some magical enchantment to it. It enabled us to fight better or something, so Cloth decided to take it with us and held on to it. Amongst the bones, there was a nice-looking dire wolf skull loosely placed on the pyramid, so I took it as a souvenir. I planned to have it cleaned up and mounted on a wall in my room. After checking out the pyramid, we checked in nearby alcoves and underneath piles of bones, and miraculously, we found a key. We just hoped it was the right one.</p><p>We all gathered around the iron door that led into the ruins and used the key we found. Thankfully, the key worked, and the door opened with a creak. Inside the room, there was a second set of metal doors, but there was a sizeable hole on the corner of the doorframe. It looked like I could look through it, so Cloth lifted me up so I could take a peek into the next room. There were several statues in the room and it seemed to be all clear.</p><p>Seeing that there weren’t any hostiles waiting for us, Cloth opened up the door and walked in. Following him inside, we began to inspect the statues and everything else in the room. The statues seemed to be tied to some sort of puzzle, so before moving on, we decided to try and figure it out first. We were at a loss for most of the time spent trying to decipher the puzzle, but after Ada helped us out, we eventually got it figured out. By figuring out the puzzle, a secret passage unlocked behind one of the large statues in the room. We decided to check out the secret tunnel and began heading down into it. Before leaving the room, Cloth removed the two garnet gemstones from the statue’s eyes in front of the hidden passage.</p><p>The tunnel seemed safe enough, and at the end of it, we came to a large chamber with a big statue and a stone tomb in it. It was pretty dark, so I lit a sunrod to better see in the dim ruins. As we moved further into the room, we saw an intriguing statue in the center of it. Suddenly, our presence in the room triggered an ancient evil to come alive and attack us. It appeared that we stumbled into the tomb of an old war hero, a hobgoblin named Ashurta, who was corrupted by an undead evil.</p><p>Ashurta and a couple of his undead subordinates broke out of their tombs and engaged us in battle. As that was happening, the central statue began to spin which became hazardous to be in close proximity to. There was so much going on at the same time that I was slightly disoriented. We came there to fight kruthiks and there we were fighting undead horrors.</p><p>The battle was rough and I got pretty beat up during it. I was actually pretty worried that I might die down there. At one point, I was knocked unconscious by Ashurta but came to a few moments later after Cloth came to my aid. Cloth, Lost, and Ada were still fighting valiantly against Ashurta, so it was still pretty dangerous. I remained there on the ground and clutched my wounded body as I played dead, not quite ready to get back into the battle. I think I had a broken rib or several from the hit I sustained from Ashurta. The others were looking pretty bad as well and were fighting for their lives. To give them a fighting chance, I decided to use myself as a distraction so the others could get in a killing blow. I reached out and grabbed the pistol closest to me. I was hurting all over, but I managed to raise my gun and fire off a shot at Ashurta to get his attention. The shot struck home and indeed got his attention. He came over to me and promptly proceeded to strike me unconscious.</p><p>The next thing I remembered was waking up to everyone huddled around me. I was on the verge of death and they had brought me back using some magic to stabilize me. My distraction opened up just the opportunity the others needed to bring the enemy down. After they had taken him out, they came to my aid and healed me up. Lost and Ada both gave me a Potion of Cure Light Wounds to help get me back on my feet. I thanked them and took the potions, immediately feeling better after chugging them down. I was still a bit busted up, so I took two potions of my own to get me moving again. Once I was more or less back to normal, I retrieved my guns and reloaded them, also checking for any damage or potential issues.</p><p>After taking care of Ashurta and tending to our wounds, we decided to look around the chamber to see if there was anything interesting. Unfortunately, we didn’t find much and decided that it was ill-advised to continue further into the ruins as we were. We were all hurting pretty badly and were low on supplies. Because of that, we decided to leave the site and come back to it the next day.</p><p>We carefully back-tracked to the entrance and made our way out of the ruins. Before leaving the Cogs, we decided to head back to the tavern and meet with the priest, Olakki, for some healing. The walk back was rather painful as I had some damage to my ribs that still needed to be attended to.</p><p>Eventually, we found Olakki and told him we needed some healing before continuing with the mission. We explained the unexpected dead guys we encountered and planned to continue with the kruthik extermination tomorrow. He was understanding and gave each of us some magical healing. My ribs and scars were fully healed and I was feeling a lot better, as were the others as well. After getting healed up, Ada told us she had her fill of adventure for the time being and was heading back to her newspaper office. She said to go on without her and tell her about it all later when we were done. I couldn’t blame her. Even us experienced fighters nearly died down there, so for a journalist to accompany us was nearly suicide. We said our goodbyes and split off to do our own thing until reconvening tomorrow.</p><p>I left the Cogs and made my way into the market to stock up on ammunition and supplies. I restocked on metal cartridges and got a couple more Potions of Cure Light Wounds as well as one Potion of Lesser Restoration. After making sure I was ready for the next day, I went back to the apartment to get a good night’s rest.</p><p> </p><p>#</p><p> </p><p>The next day, I got up and was a bit slow to get myself moving. Remembering my near-death experience, I was a bit hesitant to meet up with the others and venture once more into the ruins. I got myself a drink then finally convinced myself to get a move on and complete the job.</p><p>I met the others at the elevator to the Cogs and was surprised to see Cloth accompanied by two others. Apparently, he had gone to the guild hall to find some extra hands to help us clear the ruins of kruthiks. He managed to round up a pair of guild members named Bow and Valeshtar. Bow was a male warforged archer while Valeshtar was a female magic-user. To get them to volunteer, Cloth wrote up a contract which promised them a certain percentage of the loot we found in the ruins, or something like that. I didn’t read the actual contract, so I don’t remember the specifics.</p><p>On the elevator ride down to the Cogs, Lost and I conversed with our new teammates to gain some rapport as fellow Clifftop Adventurers Guild members. It turned out that Bow was Valeshtar’s adopted brother, or something. Her family took in the warforged to look after him, and they became siblings for some reason. I don’t know. It was a tad weird that he called her sister and she called him brother. Not that I was judging them or anything. Warforged were people too and were able to do anything and live any life us fleshies could.</p><p>Anyway, after getting off the lift, we made our way back to the front of the ruins and entered. Everything was just as we left it, so we decided to veer off the main path and go down a burrowed out tunnel. It wasn’t part of the architecture and seemed to have been dug out by a creature. We figured it was kruthik in origin, so we carefully made our way down it in search of the pests. We continued to follow the narrow bug tunnel until we entered a large antechamber.</p><p>Gathering around the mouth of the tunnel, we looked around the chamber and remained alert. Unfortunately, we failed to look up and were ambushed by kruthiks. I had another near-death experience as one bad thing led to another. One of the first shots I fired during the battle was a misfire. Immediately after I failed to shoot at the kruthik I was aiming at, it fired something at me which blinded me temporarily. While I was unable to see, I remembered getting pierced twice by something before blacking out.</p><p>Again, I woke up to an ally knelt down beside me while administering medical aid. My vision thankfully returned as Lost gave me some sort of healing potion to drink. It stopped the bleeding from my puncture wounds and reversed the negative effects of the poison in my system. I sat up and saw that they had defeated all the enemies and were moping things up. I made sure my wounds were well taken care of before standing back up and proceeding on with the group.</p><p>Moving on through the tunnels, we came upon an opening which was sealed by some sort of organic slime or secretion. We figured we were getting close, so we prepared ourselves before slicing through the covered entryway. Cloth used his magic and blessed all of us before advancing, giving us an edge in battle.</p><p>Inside the chamber, we saw several egg clusters and kruthiks scattered around the area. We had found what looked to be the creatures’ nest, so the queen had to be somewhere nearby. We all moved into the room and prepared ourselves for a fight. When we were ready, we engaged the kruthik drones nearest to us and worked our way further into the room. Towards the back of the chamber, we saw a large kruthik which we assumed was the queen. The fight was somewhat demanding for us and I kept to the back as much as possible. I was pretty wounded still and was a bit hesitant about becoming more involved with the fight. I provided support where I could but kept by the entrance to make myself a less-noticeable target.</p><p>In the end, we came out on top and took out all the kruthiks, including the queen. I don’t think I even got hit during the battle which was a relief. I just had about enough of getting wounded for a while. After all the fully-grown kruthiks had been dealt with, we went about thoroughly destroying all the eggs we could find. I didn’t want to waste any bullets, so I just went about stomping on all the small eggs I could find, leaving the larger clutches to the others who had melee weapons and magic. We spent quite a bit of time down there making sure we got all the eggs we could. We didn’t need a second infestation happening and causing a ruckus again.</p><p>While we were destroying all the eggs, we did some salvaging of any usable items left in the nest. There were things there collected by the kruthiks from dead adventurers and from elsewhere in the ruins. I managed to dig up two Potions of Lesser Restoration which would definitely come in handy later. Once we had done all that we could, we decided to press on and continue further into the ruins to make sure we didn’t miss anything.</p><p>We back-tracked a bit and passed by a path that branched off from the one we were on. We smelled a foul stench coming from that way, and upon further inspection, we found that it was blocked off from where we were. We ignored that path and kept going on the one we were on.</p><p>Eventually, we ended up in a small room that had two doors at the top of a set of stairs on either side. The room had a dragon esthetic to it with a dragon head above the center room with large teeth coming down at us like stalactites. There weren’t any enemies in the room, so we proceeded in and began looking to the inclines. We chose one at random and began going up the steps. Unfortunately, Cloth and Lost stepped on a pressure plate, causing the stairs to turn into slopes ending in a pit at the center of the room. I nearly fell in, but I managed to grab hold of the edge before I did so. Lost was closest to me and helped me back up to safety. There seemed to be some sort of puzzle to the room but we couldn’t figure it out. Every combination of plates we stepped on triggered the trapdoor, and the only way to access either door was by stepping on a plate. In the end, we decided to ignore the room and head back to the main tomb chamber where we fought Ashurta. There were doors there we hadn’t explored, so we were going to check them out.</p><p>We made our way back through the ruins towards the burial chamber with the rotating statue. From there, we continued down an unexplored path and entered another chamber. It had a strange fountain in the center with a red liquid in it. Along with that, there were two hobgoblin sarcophagi at the far side of the room with three sealed doors along one of the side walls. Everything was still and we didn’t detect anything moving around. Knowing our luck, something was going to come out of the doors and attack us. Either that or they were going to come from the sarcophagi, so we remained on alert with our weapons at the ready.</p><p>Cloth was a bit curious about the fountain, so he proceeded on towards it first. I just watched from afar as he took out a vial of holy water and poured it into the fountain. Maybe he was watching to see what it did or maybe he wanted to cleanse it? I wasn’t quite sure, but what he did next shocked me. He actually took a small drink from it. But I guess I shouldn’t have been as surprised since he was a warforged and lacked taste buds, a digestive system, and all the other innards we flesh bags had. But then, even more shockingly, Lost tasted the fountain’s contents along with Bow and Valeshtar. I was utterly flabbergasted that they would even do such a thing, even if Cloth had poured in some holy water first. It seemed like some sort of ancient evil blood fountain and they just took a sip as if it were nothing. I did not partake to say the least despite their peer pressure. After waiting a bit, they all seemed fine and the liquid didn’t seem to have any negative effects on them. I was still unconvinced that it was a good idea to ingest it and refrained from giving it a try.</p><p>After amusing themselves with the weird fountain, Cloth and Lost turned their attention to the two sarcophagi at the other end of the room. So far, nothing stirred which was a good yet ominous sign. To ease their curiosity and lust for treasure, Cloth and Lost opened up one of the sarcophagi and found nothing but bones and dust. They figured the other one was just the same, so they didn’t bother opening it up. Other than the sarcophagi, there were the three doors, but they were all locked and sealed tight. Before moving on, we decided to reinforce the doors by jamming some caltrops and pieces of wood underneath the doors. We figured it was probably a good idea to prevent them from sliding open in the off chance that they became magically unlocked. We didn’t need any undead flanking us from behind as we proceeded further into the tomb. Once the doors were secure, we continued on.</p><p>The next room we came across was filled with freaky-looking creatures. In the center, there seemed to be some sort of undead being along with several other enemies scattered around the room. It was getting late and we were kind of beat up from the battle with the kruthik hive. We decided to head back topside and rest up before doing anything else. After some much needed rest, wen planned to come back off finish off the ruins the next day. In terms of loot, we were coming up pretty light, so the others hoped to find something good in what remained of the tomb after clearing it. We carefully backed away from the room to not attract any of the creatures within then began back-tracking towards the ruin’s entrance.</p><p>We agreed to meet up at the elevator to the Cogs in the morning then went our separate ways. I was super tired and sick of getting injured. I had several puncture wounds and scars from it all. I quickly went and restocked on supplies and ammunition, buying more metal cartridges and a couple more Potions of Cure Light Wounds. I also went and visited the infirmary to get myself fully patched up. I paid for some magical treatment to fully mend my wounds and get rid of any scars I sustained recently. The treatment took a while, but afterwards I was as good as new. Once I had taken care of all my business, I went home, preformed some quick gun cleaning and maintenance, and then went to bed.</p><p> </p><p>#</p><p> </p><p>The next morning, I felt just as tired and unmotivated as before. Getting out of bed wasn’t as hard though, so I quickly got ready and met up with the others at the elevator. Bow and Valeshtar returned to finish the job and Cloth was accompanied by yet another new face. Cloth had recruited another member from the Guild to help with unlocking the three doors we came across yesterday. The new addition was named Twig and he was paid upfront for each door, so we didn’t need to share any of the loot with him. As per usual, Cloth had written up a contract which outlined all that.</p><p>Once we had all regrouped, we once again delved down into the Cogs and went back into the ruins. Thankfully, we didn’t find any new kruthiks, so we had to have done a pretty good job at exterminating them all. We made our way through all the corridors and tunnels, arriving at the room with the blood fountain and three locked doors. When we got there, we saw that the doors were still sealed shut and our reinforcements were still in place.</p><p>We made sure the room was still safe then allowed Twig to get to work. Using his lock-picking tools and expertise, he went about unlocking the first door after we had removed all the wood and caltrops from the bottom of it. After waiting around for a bit, the lock clicked and the door opened. Unfortunately, there was nothing of worth inside. It was just dust and bones. Undeterred, Cloth had Twig move on to the next one.</p><p>As they were about to remove all the added reinforcements from the second door, something triggered in the room which caused a red mist to pour forth from the blood fountain. I knew something was off about that fountain, so I backed away and remained just passed the doorway leading into the room. The mist didn’t reach that far, so I was unaffected by whatever effects it had. The others, however, were caught in the mist but didn’t seem to be affected by it, either in a good or bad way. Twig wasn’t much of a fighter and was only there to pick the locks, so he stayed outside the room behind me.</p><p>The mist continued to fill the room and the others remained alert. Suddenly, a hobgoblin specter appeared and began to attack them. There were also the sounds banging and scratching coming from the two rooms that were still sealed. Something had come back to life in there, but our added reinforcements to the doors were keeping them at bay for the time being. Since we only had the specter to deal with, we focused on killing it first. Eventually, the doors were broken down and out came an undead skeleton and wight to join the fight. We took them out as well and all was silent once more. During the fight, one of my guns malfunctioned and I almost accidentally hit Spot as a result of it. I had been putting my revolvers through a lot of shots recently, so a deep cleaning was likely in order. After clearing the room we were in, we moved on to the chamber loaded with enemies. Since Twig’s services were no longer needed, he left our group and made his way back up topside on his own.</p><p>Standing just outside the next room, we peered in and saw the same odd creature standing in the center of it. There was water pouring onto it from above and it seemed that the creature, which used to be a hobgoblin, was slowly deteriorating. The odd thing was that it seemed to rejuvenate slightly and continue the process all over again. We also took note of all the other creatures in the room and prepared for a fight.</p><p>We entered the room and were immediately attacked by the other creatures lurking about. We fended off the attack which also included the creature standing in the center of the room. Once it and everything else were dead, we got a closer look at where it had been previously standing.</p><p>It appeared that the undead perso was cursed to live forever by Ashurta and constantly be eroded away by the waterfall above him. He was some old enemy of Ashurta’s who was defeated by him long ago. The cursed hobgoblin was standing on a grate where the flesh that had been eroded from his body ended up down below. It was a cruel fate and he must’ve been glad we came along to end his suffering.</p><p>Other than the cursed hobgoblin and various dead creatures, there were four displacer beast statues situated on pedestals. I was surprised that they didn’t come to life and attack us instead of the other creatures. Each statue had two amethyst gemstones as eyes, so we decided to take them. Bow didn’t want any of them, so they were split between myself, Cloth, Lost, and Valeshtar. Cloth gave me his two in order to pay off some of his loan, so I got four amethysts in total.</p><p>After clearing that room, we had more or less been everywhere in the ruins. We hadn’t encountered any more kruthiks or seen any more eggs, so we figured the job was pretty much complete. We finished up with our business there then left, returning to the foundry where Mulrick and Olakki were. On the way there, Bow and Valeshtar returned to the guild hall since their contract didn’t include a share of the original bounty offered to us.</p><p>Upon arriving at the foundry, we asked around for Mulrick and Olakki at the front gate. One of the guards there led us to Mulrick’s office where we then received our reward. Mulrick thanked us for dealing with the infestation and handed us a sack containing 500gp. After leaving his office, we split the reward amongst the three of us. We each received 160gp while the remainder was set aside for the group fund. To further pay off his loan, Cloth gave me his share. On the way out of the foundry, we ran into Olakki and mentioned what we found in the tomb to him. He happened to know about it and told us about some of its history and stuff. Once he was done telling us all about the tomb, we made our way back topside.</p>
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<a name="section0018"><h2>18. Overtly Clandestine</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It was morning and I was at the Drunken Dragon Tavern having breakfast with the others. Asmundr and Layla had returned from their trip and were telling us all about it. It was a gloomy day with the rain pouring down hard outside. Everything was going like normal until a courier came in looking for us.</p><p>The courier spotted us easily due to Asmundr’s and Cloth’s appearances, prompting him to come over to our table. He confirmed that it was indeed us then handed over an envelope before taking his leave. Cloth took it and opened it up, revealing a letter and five platinum coins. Before touching the coins, he read the letter aloud for us all to hear.</p><p>The letter was from a Captain V of the Dark Lanterns, a clandestine organization working for the crown of Breland. They were a subgroup of the King’s Citadel and mainly dealt with intelligence. I remembered learning about them during my time as a spy for Cyre and thankfully, I never had a direct run-in with any of their agents. Anyway, the letter was really brief and vague, telling us to meet this captain for a potential job offer. The coins that accompanied the letter were for each of us, a sort of bribe to further entice us into meeting him so we could talk business. Upon hearing that, we each took a platinum coin and Cloth gave me his because of- you know, his substantial loan that he was still in the process of paying off.</p><p>Before heading out to meet with this mysterious Captain V, we had a prior engagement that we had to attend to first. Lady Elaydren wanted to talk to us about something, so we made our way to the House Cannith forge where she was waiting for us. When we got there, she said she wanted to examine the Creation Pattern further and have us leave it in her care temporarily. It took some negotiation, mostly with Cloth who didn’t want to hand it over under any circumstance, but Lady Elaydren finally convinced him to leave it with her and her associates. She promised to protect and take good care of it in the meantime. After leaving the Creation Pattern with her, we decided to head out and meet Captain V.</p><p>From the House Cannith forge, we began walking to one of the districts in Upper Sharn as per the letter’s directions. When we arrived there, the stairs leading up into the district were blocked by a gate which prevented us from proceeding. We double-checked the letter and we were in the right place as far as we knew. Looking around, we spotted a beggar off to the side of the road in an alcove.</p><p>Seeing as he was the only one around, we went over to ask if the gate could be opened somehow. He didn’t look too out of the ordinary, but there seemed to be something off about him. The beggar wouldn’t respond when we talked to him, but that all changed when Asmundr took the letter from Captain V and placed it in the beggar’s bowl. The beggar looked to the letter then said the Captain was waiting for us. At that moment, the gate opened and we were allowed to continue into the area.</p><p>Already we were dealing with some spycraft nonsense, so I prepared myself for a lot more familiarities. It wasn’t exactly something I was looking forward to. I had hoped to leave all that spy stuff in the past. We continued to the address on the letter and knocked on the door, completely unsure of what awaited us on the other side. After waiting for a few moments, the door swung open and we were greeted by a man claiming to be Captain V. He happily greeted us and allowed us into his abode, leading us into a room which appeared to be his office. Captain V sat behind a desk while the rest of us just stood in front of him.</p><p>Once Captain V was settled in, he got right down to business. He had a job for us, but first he wanted us to do an audition for him to see if we were up to the task. In the large room behind him was a dangerous ape hiding somewhere, and our job was to subdue said ape and capture it alive. It was an odd request, but if we wanted the job, we had to do it. Since we were in need of work, we decided to give it a shot, and if we failed, we’d look for something elsewhere.</p><p>We prepared ourselves then went into the room behind the office we were in. It was like an indoor forest with trees and plants all over the place. The ape was somewhere lurking amongst the trees, so we remained watchful as we proceeded in. I looked around and spotted the creature hanging out in one of the trees ahead of us. I pointed it out to the rest of the group and Cloth began approaching it with his sword and shield at the ready. We thought it was going to be a difficult task, but Cloth managed to knock out the ape in one hit after it came down to attack him. After the ape went down, we just stood there wondering if that was it. The ape was completely subdued, so we tied it up and returned back to Captain V.</p><p>Captain V was pleased with our success and went about explaining the mission he had for us. He wanted us to keep it under wraps as much as possible and not involve other organizations. There was an internal problem plaguing the Dark Lanterns that he didn’t want getting out. One of their agents, a man named Lucan, had gone rogue, and he needed someone to bring him in. He was trying to escape to Karrnath to find asylum and was headed to Trolanport, the capital of Zilargo, to find passage there. It was reported that Lucan had a contact within the embassy there to help him get to Karrnath safely. The bounty for bringing him in alive was 4000gp alive or 2000gp dead. Lucan also had a powerful sword in his possession that he stole, and there was a bonus bounty of 1000gp for recovering it. To identify it, the sword was said to have a ruby embedded in the pommel.</p><p>All the zeros were music to my ears and I was more than willing to accept the job, despite the covert nature of it. Bounty-hunting was my thing, so I was right at home with it all. The others and I talked it over and accepted the job. Before leaving, we received a few items from Captain V to help us on our journey. In case of an emergency, he gave us a written document that explained we were working on authority of the Dark Lanterns. In addition to that, he also gave us a letter of credit in the event that we needed to spend a lot of money during the mission. Lastly, he supplied us with mage-bred horses to be used to catch up to Lucan, wherever he was. Two of them were much larger to accommodate both Cloth’s and Asmundr’s size. After retrieving the horses, we set off to hunt down Lucan.</p><p>Using the information that Captain V gave us, we picked up on Lucan’s trail and rode off to try and catch up to him. During the trip, I took the piece of parchment I had with a drawing of Lucan’s face and studied it. I made sure I had a good sense of what my target looked like for when we finally caught up to him. Also during the trip, Cloth took my guns and enhanced them magically by making them masterwork.  It cost about 300gp for each gun to be done, but after he was finished, they looked and functioned great. All the metal pieces were restored and worked almost like brand new.</p><p> </p><p>#</p><p> </p><p>Around the twelfth day of journeying by horseback, we finally caught up with a suspicious-looking carriage. It was completely painted black and matched the one Lucan was reportedly last seen in. We kept back at a distance for a bit to observe the carriage, but nothing out of the ordinary happened. Not sure if it was really Lucan or not, we sped up a little at a casual pace to get a better look.</p><p>I’m not sure what caused the driver of the carriage to get spooked, but once she saw us, she sped up drastically and tried to get away from us. It wasn’t like we were acting hostile or suspicious; we were just riding along the path at a normal pace. Once the carriage began speeding off ahead of us, we hurried to catch up to it. Layla, Asmundr, and I were on their tail while Cloth and Lost struggled to get their horses moving faster.</p><p>To prevent Lucan from potentially escaping on the carriage, Asmundr created a wall and pit in the road ahead of it using his magic. The horses pulling the carriage and the carriage itself ran into the wall and plummeted into the pit. Meanwhile, the driver was flung forward and landed on the ground across from the pit.</p><p>While the driver was recovering from the fall, the three of us in the front dismounted and proceeded to surround the individual. The hood on her cloak was pulled back, revealing her head of red hair. Seeing herself outnumbered, the cloaked carriage driver sneered at us then took a Potion of Invisibility to try and escape. Not wanting to let her go, Layla acted quickly and fired off an arrow with a dye capsule at the end of it. The arrow struck the ground near where the cloaked woman was last seen and managed to get some dye on her. Now able to see her, Asmundr tried to trap her by creating a pit underneath her. Unfortunately, the mysterious woman evaded the trap by using magic to fly and quickly flew away.</p><p>We were about to pursue after her, but a feral pack of wolves got attracted to all the commotion and attacked us. While we were fighting off all the wolves, the woman managed to fully escape. After we had fended off the wolf attack, I went over and helped stop Lost’s bleeding by cauterizing the wound with one of my guns. I shot off a round into the ground then pushed the hot barrel against his wound, stopping it from bleeding any more.</p><p>Seeing the carriage, I hurried over to it to check if Lucan was in there. It didn’t seem likely as the carriage’s driver had already run away, but I had to be sure. By then, the pit had disappeared and pushed everything within it back to ground-level. I made my way over to the wreckage with a gun drawn and ready to fire. The carriage was on its side, so I had to climb up to get into the passenger compartment. I opened the side door with my revolver at the ready, but I didn’t see anyone inside. I made sure it was clear then hopped in to get a closer look at things.</p><p>The interior was ornately decorated and at the bottom was what looked to be a coffin, which was also ornately decorated. Seeing the object there, I froze temporarily as something like that only meant one thing- vampires. Along with the coffin, there were only a few rations strewn about due to the crash. The coffin was open and there wasn’t anything inside worth noting. After looking around, I climbed on out and informed the others of what I had found.</p><p>By then, Cloth and Lost had caught up to us. Cloth said he noticed someone or something jump out of the carriage during the chase before Asmundr stopped it with a pit. He tried to track the individual but lost their trail before rejoining us. After finding nothing else more with the carriage, we continued on the road we were on towards Trolanport. Cloth rode on ahead at a faster pace while the rest of us did so at a normal pace; we didn’t want to over exert the horses and lose time by allowing them to rest.</p><p>Eventually, we arrived at Trolanport and continued our search for the mysterious carriage driver or Lucan. We met up with Cloth and decided to talk to a guard to find out if they had seen anything suspicious. The guard said he hadn’t seen anything, so we then asked about the embassy and where it was. The guard asked us about our business there, and we tried to keep things vague so we didn’t give away too much about our mission. The conversation went from topic to topic, and eventually, the guard referred us to an individual there named Krell, who was an ambassador, if we needed assistance. After getting nothing else from the guard, we headed off to see if we could talk to the ambassador at the embassy.</p><p>Upon arriving at the embassy, we were halted by the guards manning the gate and weren’t permitted to enter. We repeatedly told the guards we had urgent business with Ambassador Krell, but they still wouldn’t let us through. They told us the embassy was closed in preparation for a gala or something happening later that day. Since it seemed we weren’t going to get in without giving away vital details to our mission, we left the front of the embassy to figure out what to do next. If we couldn’t get in, we figured Lucan probably hadn’t gotten in yet either, and so we had some time left to capture him.</p><p>Talking things over, we decided that our best bet on getting into the embassy and talking with this Ambassador Krell was to infiltrate under the guise of party-goers. We were going to find some fancy attire and pretend to by guests somehow. That was how we were going to get in, or at least, that was our plan, anyway. After deciding on our next move, we left to go buy some new clothes so we’d fit in at the fancy party.</p><p>We hurried over to the market district and went about picking out our outfits. Looking around, I found something that suited me, which wasn’t too fancy and matched my style. Since the party at the embassy was supposed to be a masquerade, I also found a mask that I liked to complete my disguise. It was a very classy fox mask that covered the upper portion of my face. In total, my outfit cost around 250gp, but I figured the Dark Lanterns would reimburse me later.</p><p>After everyone had their masquerade outfits, we got changed and placed everything we didn’t need into our packs. Since the masquerade was being held at a diplomatic embassy, weapons weren’t allowed to be carried by the party goers. If we wanted to bring something to defend ourselves, we had to sneak them in. Because my guns were already small and easily concealable, I had an easier time hiding mine on my person. I took Dread and holstered it on the back of my waist using the holster meant for my third revolver. I also had my ammunition secured on my belt which I really didn’t need to hide. Not many people used firearms and knew what the ammunition looked like. In the off chance that my gun was discovered, I planned to pass it off as a fancy lighter for cigarettes or cigars.</p><p>When the time came, we did our best to blend in with the crowd and approached the entrance to the embassy. We stashed our bags and unneeded gear behind some bushes near the embassy for easy access later. Spot was also left outside on standby to watch the perimeter. To further disguise ourselves, Asmundr pretended to be some sort of lord with Cloth acting as his prized possession, or something. Lost acted as Asmundr’s herald, Layla acted as his companion, and I acted as his secretary.</p><p>As we came next in line to enter the embassy, Cloth attempted to use some sort of spell on the guards, but it seemed to fail. Fortunately, it distracted the guards long enough for Layla to swipe some invitations for us. When a guest arrived at the party, they handed over an invitation to the guards to get in. The guards then placed them into a basket. Layla snuck over to the basket and stole a few for all of us. The invitations were generic and didn’t have the guest’s name on them, so we were able to use them to get in. Using the stolen invitations in addition to our fake identities, the guards allowed us entry.</p><p>Entering the embassy, we stuck together and kept alert for anything suspicious amongst the crowds of people. While we were scanning the guests, someone randomly came over and asked Asmundr to a dance. Asmundr was unsure of what to do and reluctantly accepted the offer, moving with her onto the dance floor to avoid suspicions. As they began to dance, Lost and Layla didn’t see any harm in it and joined them on the dance floor, dancing by themselves. Meanwhile, Cloth just stood on the sidelines, watching them awkwardly as he just stood there.</p><p>I just grimaced at them all and went about getting to work. I began looking around the room, taking note of alternate entrances or exits. During my scouting, I came upon a hallway leading to the embassy offices and another leading to the kitchen. After taking a look around, I returned to the others who had finished up their dance by then.</p><p>We continued with our scan of the crowd and spotted a suspicious masked individual standing off in a corner of the room. It was a red-headed girl and she was watching a pair of dancers on the dance floor. The pair she was watching consisted of a man and a woman. The man wearing an eagle mask and the woman a dragon one. Seeing the three people, we all directed our attention towards them and began slowly making our way over to that side of the room.</p><p>As we were walking over there, we saw the man suddenly pull a full-sized blade from his wrist. He swung at the woman in front of him but only managed to graze her with a non-fatal wound. We rushed to provide assistance and began pushing our way through the crowd to take him out. Seeing us approaching, the red-headed woman told the man in the eagle mask that they needed to escape then deployed a cloud of mist around them.</p><p>During the brief glimpse I had, I think I saw a ruby gemstone embedded into the pommel of the sword. The man in the eagle mask had to be Lucan, so I rushed to apprehend him. He escaped through the back entrance by going through the kitchen. Layla, Cloth, and I pursued Lucan while Lost and Asmundr stayed behind to heal the wounded woman and talk with Ambassador Krell whom they had found.</p><p>While we were exiting the embassy, Cloth had Spot meet us around the building and caught the trail of an invisible person running away. We had Spot run after the person and stop them while we caught up to apprehend them. Spot ran off ahead of the invisible person and got them to stop, allowing us to catch up to them. Seeing that they were surrounded, the invisible person cast another spell which engulfed us all in magical darkness. Before they could escape, Cloth cast a spell of his own which paralyzed the invisible individual, preventing them from getting away.</p><p>The darkness faded as well as the invisibility, allowing us to get a better look at who we were chasing. It turned out that it was the red-headed woman, the same person who was driving the black carriage from before. We figured she was working with Lucan, but to what end, we weren’t sure at the time. Before the paralysis spell wore off, we secured our prisoner to interrogate and hold as leverage. Lucan was nowhere in sight, so we figured his accomplice probably knew where he went. While the others were tying her up, I checked the red-head for any signs of vampirism as a precaution. Her neck was fine and she didn’t seem to be a vampire, but there was something up with her for sure.</p><p>Just after we had gotten our prisoner on her feet to bring back to the embassy, we were approached by a group of people. At their lead was a woman named Meena who came over to us, demanding that we hand over the red-head to her and her associates. Of course, we refused the request and asked who they were. Meena introduced herself as a member of the Trust, Zilargo’s clandestine equivalent of Breland’s Dark Lantern group. Like the Dark Lanterns, I too was familiar with the Trust. Shortly after we had begun talking, Lost and Asmundr arrived, having followed the Trust agents to our location.</p><p>Once we were all back together, we told Meena to give us a moment while we talked things over. Lost and Asmundr then told us about what they found out back at the embassy. Apparently, the Trust was aware of Lucan and planned to capture him while he was at the masquerade. The woman with the dragon mask that Lucan had been dancing with was a Trust agent. She failed to charm him using a spell which got him spooked, causing him to escape with the forged travel documents that his friend, Ambassador Krell, had given him prior to the dance. Lost managed to talk with Ambassador Krell and learned that she had given him airship tickets. She had no idea that he was a wanted criminal, so the request didn’t seem odd to her. She thought she was just helping an old friend out with a favor. Knowing all that, we decided to feign cooperation with the Trust but send them elsewhere.</p><p>After talking, we reconvened with Meena and told her we’d cooperate. We handed over the red-head to her custody and told her we knew where Lucan was headed. To throw the Trust off his scent and give us room to capture him ourselves, we lied and told them that Lucan planned to escape via a water route. We said that he was headed to the docks to find passage on a ship. Meena seemed to buy our lie and said she was going to take over Lucan’s apprehension. She took the red-head and left to coordinate with her subordinates and set up an ambush at the docks. Once she was long gone, we hurried to where the airships were docked to try and intercept Lucan.</p><p>If we wanted to get to the airport as fast as possible, we had to take several water taxis to get there. Before leaving the embassy, Asmundr had grabbed everyone’s bags and carried it with him to return to us. During the several rides, I reached into my bag and put on my leather vest over my fancy attire. There was no time to fully change, and we weren’t exactly in the most appropriate places to undress. I also got my gear in order with all three guns back in their default positions on my belt. If we were going to get into a fight, I wanted at least some protection and my full armament at the ready.</p><p>When we arrived at the docks, we saw one airship prepping to depart. There were no other ships around, so we figured Lucan had to be on that one. We hurried to the gangplank but were stopped by a small group of gnomes. They looked to be mere dock workers, but they moved in front of us and began attacking us. It appeared that they were being influenced against their will to do so, so it only reaffirmed to us that Lucan had been there.</p><p>We did our best to defend ourselves and get onboard the ship without killing any of the dock workers. To speed things up, Asmundr created a pit underneath the gnomes and trapped them there. The others began jumping over the pit to board the ship as it began to slowly start moving. As I saw the ship began to leave, I panicked slightly and slipped when I was about to jump. Instead of clearing the pit, I flopped right into the middle of it, landing right on top of the gnomes trapped at the bottom. As soon as I hit the bottom of the pit, it raised back up and brought the gnomes and me back to ground level. Confused, the gnomes began to stab at me with their weapons, cutting me a few times.</p><p>Annoyed and not wanting to get left behind, I ignored my own advice to keep things non-lethal and shot the gnome directly in front of me in the face. The gnome fell back onto the ground dead, clearing a path for me to get to the ship. I hurried through the gap in the gnome line and jumped for the ship, barely making it onboard. Lost was there at the edge of the ship to catch me if I failed to make it, but fortunately I was okay on my own. After getting on the ship, Lost and I began making our way over to the others.</p><p>Cloth and the rest of the group were confronting the captain of the ship, asking where Lucan was. I missed the initial talk, but from what I could tell from their tone, Cloth and the others weren’t getting what they wanted from the ship captain. The ship’s crew, mainly consisting of gnomes, were wielding basic weapons and were hesitant about attacking us. I just drew a gun and fired a single shot into the air, telling them to back off. My intimidation tactic worked, and the crew backed off, allowing us to work in peace.</p><p>Suddenly, Asmundr used a spell to shrink the captain to half his size while Cloth temporarily blinded him using magic. Cloth then handcuffed the captain to the ship’s railing and knocked him out to prevent him from escaping. I was a bit concerned about the way they were treating the guy, especially if he was just a civilian doing his job, but oh well. Whatever got the job done.</p><p>While the captain was knocked out, we gathered around to figure out what to do. The ship was already leaving the outskirts of Sharn on its way to Karrnath, so there was no turning back. The captain had refused to stop the ship and allow us to figure things out, so we were more or less stuck in the situation we were in. The captain told the others he hadn’t seen anyone named Lucan nor recognized the name, but we didn’t buy it. The others figured that perhaps Lucan wiped his memory of the interaction or was probably using a different name. The gnomes from the dock were definitely not acting normally, so they had to be under Lucan’s influence. In the end, we decided to just search the ship and ride things out to its destination.</p><p>Lost undid the captain’s cuffs and brought him into his cabin to interrogate him a bit more nicely. I followed Lost into the cabin while the others began searching the ship for Lucan. Before Lost woke the captain up, I got changed back into my normal clothes and gear while inside the captain’s cabin. I didn’t mind Lost being there with me, and he turned his back to give me some privacy. After I was done, I told Lost I’d guard the cabin and be just outside the door if he needed help. He gave me a nod, and I exited the cabin, remaining just outside the door and keeping alert.</p><p>Several minutes passed with Lost still talking with the captain and the others still searching for Lucan. Suddenly, I spotted something in the distance that caught my eye. I looked on and saw another airship out in front of us in addition to smaller boats coming right for ours. I banged on the cabin’s door behind me and shouted to Lost that we were going to have company. Some of the others were on the top deck with me, so they went to find the rest of the group to prepare for whatever was going on.</p><p>As I got a closer look at the ship in the distance, I noticed an Emerald Claw flag flying high above it. Cloth wasn’t a big fan of that, and we figured they were there to pick up Lucan. We got ready for a fight and prepared to repel boarders. The smaller ships that were deployed from the larger Emerald Claw ship got in close and began dropping off soldiers. The others and I did our best to defend the ship and prevent them from getting to Lucan.</p><p>One of the small skiffs was carrying a couple of archers and circled around our ship. I got hit by a couple arrows when they got on my flank, but after taking a quick healing potion, I was back to normal. To take care of the archers, Lost chucked a flask of alchemist fire at their skiff, setting it on fire and causing it to crash into the jungle below.</p><p>As we were fighting, things began looking good for us. We were close to fending off all the Emerald Claw soldiers until something unpredictable happened. The main Emerald Claw ship began heading directly for us on a collision course, gaining speed as it moved. Before we knew it, the ship had rammed us, crippling both ships and causing them to begin falling out of the sky.</p><p>The collision rocked the ship and nearly knocked us all off our feet. The crew of the ship began to panic and started ushering the civilian passengers to the lifeboats. We had just finished killing all the Emerald Claw soldiers and were stumbling to figure out what to do next.</p><p>Just as we were about to jump off the side of the ship to safety, we saw a suspicious-looking cloud of gas hovering over us in the air. We assumed it was Lucan, but the others couldn’t do anything as they were already floating down to the ground thanks to their Rings of Featherfall. I was the last to jump, so I holstered my guns and reached into my utility pouch, pulling out a Daylight Pellet. I knew my guns weren’t going to have any effect on the cloud, but perhaps the pellet might since vampires were weak to daylight. I threw it on the deck of the ship then jumped off the edge, making sure to grab our battle standard that was planted at the beginning of the fight before I did. As I happened to look back over my shoulder, I saw the cloud transform into a giant bat and begin flying towards a temple that was nearby across a lake.</p><p>As we were descending, the two large ships came crashing down to the ground below us. There were two lifeboats that managed to get away from the civilian passenger ship, so we hoped that all the crew and civilians were able to get on them. Once they were clear of the falling ships, the lifeboats began heading towards the nearest settlement. Unfortunately, we did know that at least one of the crew didn’t make it. We spotted the captain still at the helm of his ship, seemingly having chosen to go down with it rather than evacuate.</p><p>Eventually, we made it to the ground and regrouped, taking note of all the debris and wreckage around us. Before moving on, some of the others wanted to bury the civilians who died in the crash and also burn the bodies of the Emerald Claw corpses. We had a rough idea of where Lucan went and we needed to tend to our wounds, so we decided to take the time to do all that. While everyone was burning bodies and burying the dead, Cloth used some magic to heal some of my wounds. We also looted the area for anything useful, taking some helpful items from the dead Emerald Claw soldiers. I picked up a couple of sunrods and two wooden stakes, which I found odd if the soldiers were there to help Lucan escape. Perhaps we had it wrong and they weren’t there to help him, but then that begged the question- why were they there then?</p><p>When we were all ready to go, we headed out in the direction of the temple we spotted earlier. We trekked through the jungle and eventually arrived at the lake where the temple was. It was getting late in the day, so we decided to setup camp before crossing the lake to get to the temple. We decided to find a clearing somewhere away from the banks of the lake to avoid any lurking creatures there. I set up my portable campsite and went about tending to my wounds and checking my gear. After all that was taken care of, I went to bed and tried to get some sleep.</p><p> </p><p>#</p><p> </p><p>When I woke up the next morning, I quickly had some rations and prepared to move on. After everyone was awake and moving, we returned to the water’s edge and looked to the temple situated in the center of the lake. I was rather apprehensive about how we were going to get there as it was quite far out, and there were no boats. We discussed things and decided to just build a makeshift raft to get across.</p><p>We returned to the jungle and chopped down a few trees for wood, using it to fashion a raft to get us across the water. When it was all done, I donned my life-vest and got on, staying right in the middle of the raft and holding on for dear life. The others surrounded me and began paddling towards the temple across the water. The others mentioned seeing some creatures in the water, but thankfully they didn’t cause us any trouble. After what seemed like forever, we reached the temple and disembarked from the raft. I was one of the first off, and once I was far enough away from the water’s edge, I took off my life-vest.</p><p>The others and I approached the entrance to the temple with Layla taking the lead, remaining alert for any potential hostiles in the area. We had no idea what waited for us in the temple besides Lucan, so we had to be on guard. Upon entering the entrance, Layla spotted an odd flying creature lurking in a corner of the ceiling. The creature must’ve used some magic or something because Cloth, who was second to enter the temple, began to freak out and ran away from the fight. The creature was a bit disgusting, but it wasn’t that frightening. Despite that, Cloth was completely terrified by it. Maybe he had some unknown fear related to it, so I didn’t hold it against him.</p><p>Anyway, the creature escaped our attacks and left to presumably alert whatever else was within the temple. After Cloth returned to us, we continued on further inside and kept alert for more enemy contacts. Our cover was blown, and we no longer had the element of surprise. We just hoped Lucan hadn’t escaped by then or moved on to somewhere else.</p><p>At the end of the room we were in, we encountered a large door that was wedged shut. No matter how hard we tried to open it, it wouldn’t budge. Since we couldn’t proceed any further that way, we just decided to climb up the sides of the temple from the outside and hopefully enter from above. We had our Rings of Featherfall, so if we happened to fall during our climb, we weren’t in any danger.</p><p>We made our way back outside and tried to figure out the best way to climb up the temple. Asmundr summoned an eagle and had it fly a grappling hook with a rope attached to it to the very top. The eagle secured the hook and gave the signal that it was safe to begin climbing up. One by one, we took hold of the rope and began climbing up. It took a while, but we all reached the top all right. There, we found an open chute that led back into the temple’s interior.</p><p>Lost volunteered to go first and went down the shaft using his Ring of Featherfall. At the bottom, there were some wood planks that blocked the way into the temple. The wooden planks weren’t that strong, so Lost broke through them and secured the room directly below. He didn’t see any enemies around, so he signaled back to us that it was safe to come on down. After jumping down to join him, we found ourselves in some kind of evil prayer room. I had a gun in one hand and a lit sunrod in the other which illuminated the room better</p><p>We weren’t sure what religion everything was meant to be related to, but that wasn’t important. Inside the room was a black marble throne along with an evil demon statue. Looking around, we found a secret door behind the demon statue. It wouldn’t open normally, but I figured out eventually how to get it open via a small puzzle we had to solve. The passage led to another vertical shaft and Lost volunteered to go first again.</p><p>At the bottom, we found ourselves in some sort of crypt filled with stone caskets. With a cursory glance, we noticed that some of the caskets had ancient goblin bodies within them. While we were looking around the immediate area underneath the shaft we came from, we began to hear a voice coming from one of the closed caskets. It sounded like someone was in trouble, a feminine voice, so we hurried over and pushed off the lid from the stone casket they were in. Once the lid was off, out came a female dwarf named Gemra. She said she was a tomb raider who got caught and imprisoned there for trespassing, presumably by Lucan based on the description of the person she mentioned.</p><p>While we were talking with her, an ochre jelly appeared and attacked us. Having a common foe, Gemra joined our group and fought alongside us to kill it. The ochre jelly got the drop on Layla who was closest to it and swallowed her, trapping her inside its gelatinous body. After beating it up enough, the jelly spit her out but then split into two. One of the two smaller jellies then swallowed Layla back up while the other knocked out Gemra and ate her too. The fight was difficult since we didn’t want to harm our comrades who were inside the enemies. Eventually, the others managed to free Layla while I pistol-whipped the jelly holding Gemra, freeing her in the process as well.</p><p>Shortly after finishing off the jellies, one of the stone caskets at the other end of the room began to make noise. Suddenly, the lid was pushed off and out came Lucan looking rather annoyed and frustrated. He yelled something at us then threw his sword away from him. Once Cloth saw Lucan, he acted quickly and used his magic to incapacitate him, casting some spells to stop him from moving and casting spells of his own. The spells worked and Lucan was completely immobilized.</p><p>As we were about to head over to Lucan, Vermundr suddenly lashed out and began attacking us. He set his sights on a very wounded Layla and moved to attack her. Seeing him target her, I pushed Layla out of the way and took the brunt of his brutal attack. I had no idea what was going on and acted purely on instinct. Getting hit by Vermundr like that felt like getting hit by a giant war hammer. I was nearly knocked out from the blow, but I remained conscious and helped Layla to safety.</p><p>Asmundr eventually regained control of Vermundr and suspected that the sword Lucan threw was behind his outburst. Asmundr was getting some very evil vibes from the sword, and Vermundr was closest to it when he suddenly turned on us. As he carefully walked over to it, he noticed a ruby in the pommel and figured this was the sword Lucan had stolen. There was a bonus for bringing it back, so Asmundr took the sword in his hand using a cloth and stashed it away in his pack.</p><p>While Asmundr was dealing with the sword, the rest of us tended to our wounds and went over to Lucan. We took all the rope, restraints, and whatever else we could use and thoroughly tied him up. We also gagged him with a piece of cloth and put a blindfold on him for good measure. Once he was secured, the others began looking around the crypt.</p><p>Seeing the only door in the room, Cloth went over and carefully managed to open it up. He, Lost, and Layla ventured into the room to look around while the rest of us kept an eye on Lucan. While I was fixing myself up from Vermundr’s attack earlier, I heard someone playing a set of drums in the other room. It was odd, but then the others came back saying they didn’t find much, other than more caskets and a large drum set. There was a staircase in the second room, so after finding no other way to get out of the crypt, we began ascending the stairs.</p><p>We followed Cloth up the stairs while Lost was carrying Lucan on his shoulder. I drew my gun again in case there were more enemies and had a lit sunrod in my other hand. At the bottom of the stairs, we entered a room and were immediately attacked by an undead minotaur. Compared to the jellies, the minotaur was rather easy, and we took care of it with no problem at all. The room it was in had animal heads mounted all over the walls with emerald gemstones in their eyes. We took some time to gather all the gems and managed to get around 200 emeralds in total, each worth about 5gp each.</p><p>The rest of the slog through the temple was uneventful and we managed to get back to the front entrance of the temple. Lucan was still secured and being carried by Lost. Lost had draped a large cloak over Lucan so the sunlight didn’t injury him. Our raft was still there, so we boarded it and paddled our way back to shore. I slipped on my life-vest once more and loathed the trip back across the water. Even though nothing from the depths of the water bothered us again, I still hated the ride. Every second I was on the raft, I imagined it breaking and me plummeting into the lake, but the raft managed to get across in one piece.</p><p> </p><p>#</p><p> </p><p>Over the next couple of weeks, we made our way back to Trolanport with Lucan as our prisoner. We got lost momentarily while in the jungle, but after finding a road, we managed to find our way back to civilization. We charted a carriage to take us back to Trolanport using the letter of credit Captain V had given us. When we finally got back there, we didn’t stay long and found our horses at the stable where we last left them. We then traveled all the way back to Sharn to hand over Lucan and collect our reward.</p><p>I was so relieved to be back in Sharn after nearly spending a month on the mission to recover Lucan. When we entered the city, we were approached by two Dark Lantern agents who told us to follow them. They were going to lead us to a maximum-security prison for Lucan’s interrogation and imprisonment. Captain V was going to meet us there, so we followed them to the prison.</p><p>At the prison, we finally got to hand over Lucan and the stolen sword we recovered. Captain V kept his side of the deal and paid us all handsomely, including the bonus for bringing back the sword and keeping Lucan alive. We were also reimbursed for the costumes we had to procure to get into the embassy, so that was cool. We told him about the Emerald Claw attacking us and he said he figured they might intervene at some point. He said he had reports that they were after the sword for their own purposes but failed to mention it when we first met. After debriefing him about everything else, we left the prison to take some time to ourselves.</p><p>Before Cloth left, he fully repaid the debt he owned me and handed over the remaining amount on his loan. I thanked him for fulfilling his payment and said if he needed money in the future, I’d be happy to lend it to him. We bid each other farewell and left to carry out our own business.</p><p>I was super tired, but there were some things I had to get done before going back home. I might as well since I was already out, I figured. Since I was carrying a ton of money from the latest job, I went to the bank and deposited a whopping 7,000gp. I hadn’t ever had that much money in my possession; I didn’t know what to do with it all. With what I had, I could’ve probably taken a couple years off from work and just relax, but the thought didn’t cross my mind at the time.</p><p>After finishing up at the bank, I went to the market and bought some supplies to include more ammunition and two Potions of Cure Light Wounds. While I was at Markus’ shop, I asked if he was able to make me some silver-coated bullets. When he asked what they were for, I told him about the vampire we hunted. He didn’t have any on hand, but he’d look into it for me.</p><p>Leaving Markus’ shop, I stopped by a House Sivis station to take care of my next errand. I wanted to send off a letter to Daena that I had written during the trip back to Sharn. During the stops we made on the way back, I wrote a letter outlining the experience I had hunting down Lucan while it was all fresh in my head. After that, I decided to head home and rest for a bit.</p><p>I unpacked my bag and hung the costume from the masquerade in my wardrobe, cleaning it first using my cleansing stone. I took care of the other stuff from my bag then decided to take the rest of the day off. I deserved a break every now and then.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0019"><h2>19. The Final Schema</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>A day later, I was hanging out with the group at the Drunken Dragon having a couple of drinks. It was storming outside and we were just trying to keep dry until it passed.</p><p>Cloth and Lost were recounting their trip to the House Cannith forge the day before. They told me that the researchers there had a prototype gun made from the blueprints I gave them. They weren’t sure if it worked or not, but I figured I’d pay them a visit when I had the chance. They also told me about a small vendor near the forge that sold bootleg guns as well. It was run by a goblin and had other curios there for sale. I had no idea how they got their hands on the blueprints, but that was also something I had to check out. After leaving the forge and goblin shop, Cloth and Lost encountered a curious vehicle they had never seen before. It was some sort of mechanical bicycle that ran on elemental power. They talked with the owner whose name was Violet d’Cannith.</p><p>While we were just minding our own business, Ada entered the tavern and came over to our table. Out of the blue, she pulled out a wanted poster with a warforged resembling Cloth printed on it. She didn’t have much information on it other than it was posted by some men from Thrane. Even though the warforged did all look alike, not to be racist or anything, the one on the poster did have a lot of what made Cloth stand out from the rest. When we looked to Cloth, he just shrugged and was clueless about it as well. I asked how much the bounty was and Ada said it was 100,000gp, the biggest amount for a bounty I had ever heard of. It was too bad Ada didn’t have any more information on it.</p><p>Suddenly, a gargoyle messenger came by and delivered a message to us while we were all talking around the table. It was from Lady Elaydren and she wanted to meet us at her house to discuss a new job. Seeing that we had some business to attend to, Ada bid us farewell and said she’d look into the wanted poster more. If she found anything, she’d let us know. After she left, we finished our drinks and headed out to meet Lady Elaydren. The letter had the address of her personal residence, Town House 19, so we followed the directions to get there.</p><p>Upon reaching Lady Elaydren’s place, we noticed that the windows to the dwelling were broken and the door was wide open. We then heard a woman scream from inside, so we hurried to help Lady Elaydren if she was in danger. Inside the house, we found dead guards on the ground and three undead Emerald Claw soldiers about to surround Lady Elaydren. We immediately jumped into action to defend her, quickly taking out the soldiers in the process. The others tended to any wounds Lady Elaydren might’ve had while I secured the rest of the house. After securing the area, we gathered around Lady Elaydren to ask what happened.</p><p>It turned out that the Creation Pattern and two schemas in Lady Elaydren’s possession were stolen along with her research notes. An Emerald Claw contingent, personally led by Garrow and his warforged bodyguard, infiltrated Sharn and raided her home. The enemy had almost everything they needed to enact their master plan, whatever it was. All they needed was the final schema. Lady Elaydren overheard some of the soldiers talking about the location of the last schema. It was supposedly located in the southern continent of Xen’drik, but that was all she heard. That was where she guessed they were taking the other schemas and the Creation Pattern.</p><p>To help us recover the schemas, Lady Elaydren arranged for travel to get us to the continent. In addition to that, she planned to pay us for recovering everything and would even give us an upfront payment. She was going to give us 2,500gp as a down payment so we could buy supplies for the mission. After securing the schemas and Creation Pattern, an additional 2,500gp was promised to us. After giving us our upfront payment, we left to quickly prepare ourselves for the upcoming journey.</p><p>I took the money I was given and put it to good use, buying several necessities and taking care of my affairs. I went back to my apartment and gathered my things, paying a few month’s rent payments in advance before leaving. I then headed to the market and bought some things to include: more ammunition, enough rations to last me the journey, two Potions of Cure Moderate Wounds, three Daylight Pellets, and three Potions of Cure Light Wounds.</p><p>I also took a moment to write a letter to Daena, telling her where I was going and all the new developments regarding the vampire Garrow. I dropped it off at a House Sivis station before meeting up with the others at Lady Elaydren’s place. When we were all together at Lady Elaydren’s house, she told us about how she was going to get us to the southern continent.</p><p>We needed a discrete way to get to Xen’drik, so Lady Elaydren procured some secret vehicle called a submarine. Supposedly, it traveled under the water instead of on top of it like a normal sea-faring ship. I already despised traveling on the water, so I wasn’t very enthused about doing the same underneath the waves. When we were ready, Lady Elaydren told us where the submarine was located and who we needed to meet. The submarine was called the Sea Dart and captained by a male gnome and a small crew. We bid farewell to Lady Elaydren then headed off to the docks.</p><p>The submarine was kept in a secret warehouse, and when we arrived at the location, the captain let us in to begin boarding. Looking at the vessel barely breaching the water’s surface as it just floated there, I let out a tired sigh. I put on my life-vest and followed the others to the hatch that led into the ship’s interior. Once we were all inside, the captain gave us a brief tour, showing us the crew’s quarters, the viewing room, galley, and command center. After the tour, we disembarked and began heading to the city of Stormreach, the major port in Xen’drik.</p><p>During the ride, I had Cloth make my leather vest and coat Masterwork using his magic. It restored the threads and fabric to brand new and fortified it, just the same as when he made my guns Masterwork. It was a bit stiff when I put it back on, but I’d break them in like I had before. Other than that, I spent most of my time in the crew quarters, trying not to focus on the fact that we were traveling underwater in the middle of the sea.</p><p> </p><p>#</p><p> </p><p>At one point during the trip, the ship came to a complete stop as we were nearing the continent. The stop wasn’t done on purpose, so something outside had to have stopped the ship. I was in the crew quarters like normal when it happened. I jumped down from my bunk and was about to reach the door until the ship was rocked again but more violently than last time. I then heard one of the crew say that a Dire Shark was attacking the sub. At the same time, I saw water leaking from a room in the back of the sub which freaked me out.</p><p>I panicked and retreated back into the crew quarters, finding refuge on my top bunk. I took out a piece of parchment and began to quickly write out my will in case I didn’t make it out of there alive. As I sat on my bunk, cowering from the water slowly filling the sub and the shark outside attacking the vessel, the others acted fast and actually went outside to defend the ship. We were still deep underwater, so how they went outside and fought the shark, I had no idea until after the battle was done.</p><p>The ship was trapped in a net, so they had to free it while simultaneously fending off the giant shark. Those who went outside took some Potions of Waterbreathing then used the outer hatch to leave the submarine. It was a hard-fought battle, but they managed to get the ship free from the suspiciously placed net. By then, the shark had left the fight and disappeared into the dark depths. Lost was injured badly, but the others managed to get him back on board safely. Once the ship was free from its constraints, it surfaced so the crew could begin repairs.</p><p>While the others were topside aiding in the repairs, I continued to hunker down in the crew quarters on my bunk. The water began to splash into the room which continued to freak me out. I had no idea if we were going to completely sink or what, so I was a bit frantic to say the least.</p><p>Shortly after repairs began, the shark returned along with its masters. The Dire Shark was being commanded by sahuagin pirates, and they were after our ship. The others engaged the pirates and kept them at bay while the gnome crew members finished repairs on the ship. I heard the battle raging on outside and at the onset of the fighting, I took a Potion of Waterbreathing as a precaution.</p><p>Eventually, my curiosity and urge to help out my comrades overcame me. I finally managed to get myself off my bunk and began heading towards the outer hatch. The water was still flooding the ship, so my boots splashed on the floor as I walked. By the time I made it up and outside the ship, the battle was pretty much over. I fired off a shot at one of the pirates, but that was all I did. The Dire Shark and the sahuagin pirates were soon defeated by the others. Cloth had gotten eaten by the shark during the battle, but he used a Blast Disc to blow a hole in the shark to get out. He then used a couple more to finish it off after it came at him. After the enemies had been taken care of, the crew of the ship were able to work in peace and finished repairs. Once the repairs were complete, we all went back inside the ship and we were back on our way towards Stormreach.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0020"><h2>20. A Friendly Conversation</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>This was an RP conversation between myself and Tanner between our normal sessions.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It had been a day since the Dire Shark attack, and the submarine was sailing along towards Xen’drik. I was resting in the bunkroom all by myself while the others were elsewhere on the ship. I was sitting on the top bunk, still wearing my usual outfit. As an added addition and precaution, I still had my bright-orange life-vest over my clothes in the event of another attack.</p><p>“I hate being out at sea...,” I said to myself.</p><p>Lost had been spending most of his time watching the ocean from the limited viewing ports available. During that time, he noticed that I had spent a great deal of time away from the group since the voyage began. Looking around, he found me sitting on my bunk.</p><p>“Leena? Are you all right?” asked Lost.</p><p>Seeing Lost enter the bunkroom, I turned to him but remained rather guarded. I just kept sitting there with my knees hugged against my chest. “I’m fine. Just peachy,” I said with a hint of sarcasm in my voice.</p><p>“Yes, I can tell by the closed off nature of your body language and the tone of your voice that you are entirely well off...,” said Lost while returning the sarcasm. “... I take it you do not like water?”</p><p>I just rolled my eyes and continued to sulk, not liking my current situation. “We were just attacked by a giant shark and almost sank... but, I suppose everything turned out all right in the end. Though, we are still in the middle of the ocean and I’m trying not to think about that. I thought you would’ve figured by now that I have a phobia of large bodies of water, especially the types where you can drown in,” I said before letting out a sigh. “But, I am glad to see that you and Cloth made it out of there alive. I was afraid that you were all done for. I even forced myself to go out there and come to your aid, but in the end, you all had it figured out.”</p><p>Lost was wearing just simple clothes with his shadow cloak on for added warmth. He lifted up his shirt, exposing newly formed scars from the teeth of the shark and some subtle scales forming on his skin. “Yeah, it was a bit of a close call for a minute there at first for me. After Cloth was swallowed whole, I was ready to jump into the shark’s maw after him. I had no idea he would blow himself up just to get out!” he said.</p><p>I glanced over to see his wounds but didn’t make it obvious. “Yeah, I happened to just make it topside when the shark exploded. I got pretty dirty from all the fish guts that came raining down. I was not happy about that...,” I said before giving a slight chuckle, “I’m surprised at how often we come close to death but manage to make it out alive somehow.” I took a closer look at Lost’s exposed midsection and noticed something odd. “Did the shark skin rub off on you as well? You have, like, a scar or rash forming on you.”</p><p>Lost glanced down, a little bit flustered at not realizing the extent of his transformation and dropped his shirt. “Oh, haha. Yeah... I’ve been meaning to tell you about that, but there never seemed to be a good time between all the near deaths and chaotic ventures. Though, I must admit, I am somewhat reluctant as I know very little about the person you are behind the blasting powder and broody exterior. Leena, before I explain, I must know that I can trust you, and in order to trust you, I feel I must know who you are,” he said. He sat on a bunk across from me and peered at me with an earnest look of humble inquisition.</p><p>I looked to Lost with a somewhat bemused expression. “If you can’t trust me by now, what can I do or say that’ll change that? If you’re worried about the scales, you know, I had something like that before too. Got all scaly and such while traveling through the Mournland. Don’t worry; it’ll go away in a few days or so...,” I said as I transitioned to sitting at the edge of the top bunk, my legs hanging over the side.</p><p>“My lack of trust comes not through any action you’ve taken, but a lack of knowledge of where you draw your motivations and what those motivations are. I hope you know I mean no offense as I do not accuse you of ill intent, though, the lack of knowing draws the question of what your intentions are within this company. Who is Leena? What does she value in this world? What are her goals for the future? Or most significantly, what are her feelings for her companions?” asked Lost. He sounded concerned but looked visibly interested in connecting with and getting to know me.</p><p>I narrowed my eye at Lost, smirking slightly. “So... you want to know me better, is that it?” I asked as I hopped on down from the top bunk. The water that had flooded the room from before was gone, taken care of by the sub’s crew. I plopped down on the bottom bunk across from Lost, resting my arms on my knees as I got more comfortable. “What is there to say about me? I’m a bounty-hunter and I collect bounties. As for the others in my group, they seem all right, however, there have been times where I’ve had my doubts about them. Out of them all, though, I’d say you have the most sensible and reasonable sense of things. Am I wrong in assuming that?” I asked as I eyed Lost, not letting him past my defenses just yet.</p><p>Lost laughed a little and nodded his head. “I know what you mean, they can be a little... excessive. But they mean well… I think. But I would not claim to be any more reasonable or place myself in higher standing than any of those whom I care for. I am perhaps a bit more self-mild mannered at times, for better or worse I suppose. Though, that may have something to do with my past experience,” he said. He then looked down slightly as though he was feeling shame.</p><p>“Past experience, huh? You starting to remember who you were? Is it something about your mariner days? Perhaps being on this ship has jogged your memory or something. Amnesia must be something hard to deal with, but hey- you’ve made it this far,” I said as I tried to cheer Lost up.</p><p>“No, I was never a mariner and I never lost my memories. I was sort of a politician before I came to Khorvaire, and I did not come here by choice. I was cast away from my people by the governing body for treasonous acts against them,” said Lost.</p><p>I was caught off guard by the sudden revelation, having always believed Lost to be a mariner with amnesia. “Wow, um. I wasn’t expecting that,” I said as I looked on with a curious expression. “A politician, huh? You don’t seem like the sort of person to be sitting in an office making policy. I know those types and you surely don’t seem like one.” I glanced away momentarily, taking in Lost’s words. “...and you were cast out for... treasonous acts? And here I thought you were the most normal of the group. I thought Cloth and I had it bad with being former soldiers to a lost country, but you- a traitor? I can’t imagine that.”</p><p>“A sort of politician. The truth is, Leena, these scales are not some disease or magical skin curse, but rather the slow return to my true nature,” said Lost.</p><p>“True nature? What’re you on about? You sayin’ you’re not human- or... humanoid?” I asked as I got a bit more guarded. “Just what are ya?”</p><p>“I am from a land called Argonnessen... the land of dragons. The governing body called ‘the Chamber’ felt that the people of Khorvaire should be left to destroy themselves. I spent the first years of my time among them trying to convince them to intervene in the Great War before they destroyed themselves, but I was immediately written off as unwise and ignorant until the destruction of Cyre,” said Lost. He then glanced up at me to make eye contact. “Whereupon I learned from my father, a member of the council, that the draconic government may have had something to do with its occurrence, or at a minimum, known it was going to happen. When I confronted the council about this, I was relieved of my position… but I was not silenced. I began raising a rebellion against the Chamber and the governing body with the help of my parents and my lifelong friend and love. On the day when we mounted our assault on the Chamber, we fought for three days before we were defeated with my father slain and my mother and love taken prisoner. As the leader of this rebellion, I was cursed and cast out until my lesson had been learned and the light of the mighty dragon Siberys saw me worthy of returning.”</p><p>As Lost told his tale, my expression was that of awe and utter confusion. I knew very little about the lore of old and the land of dragons. While Lost talked, I did my best to follow along and get what he was saying, but it was difficult. After everything was said, I took a moment to absorb it all and sat in silence, looking down at the floor in front of me. A few moments later, I spoke.</p><p>“That- That is a lot to take in. So you’re from the Land of Dragons. Does that mean you’re...?” I asked, wondering if Lost was truly a dragon himself.</p><p>“My name is Fenraknafir Dharkhalix. I was raised in the mountains north of ‘the Vast’. I am a silver dragon born of the silver dragon Maikar the Steady and the bronze dragon Sylviatar the Fair. The love of my life was a sapphire dragon named Faridae, and one day, I will return to them and bring justice to those who lost their lives in Cyre,” said Lost.</p><p>I raised my brow, surprised at what Lost was telling me; however, once he brought up Cyre, my mood slightly soured. “That is quite the family background you got there, Lost. Do you mind if I keep calling you that? It rolls off the tongue better. Or I could try saying your real name. Fen-rack-nah-fear?” I said, doing my best to enunciate Lost’s real name.</p><p>Lost smirked a little. “Yes, that sounds close enough, though I would actually prefer you continue calling me Lost, as it may be unsafe to use my real name around other,” he said.</p><p>I just kept my eye locked on Lost’s, my gaze unwavering. “Anyway, you said something about the dragons knowing war was coming to Khorvaire... and they didn’t do anything to stop it?” I then gritted my teeth as I continued to look Lost in the eye. “...Why?”</p><p>“The dragons of Argonnessen commonly prowl the lands of other races disguised as their own kind in order to gather information,” said Lost. He leaned back, placing his hands behind him. “As for your follow-up question, I’m not certain I know how to answer that. Between the Draconic Prophecy and the Eyes of Chronepsis, the dragons have ways of knowing many things. I was never able to find the true answer to what they knew about the war or what their involvement may have been. The answers to those questions still stir in my mind, and one day I WILL discover the truth,” he said, a look of strong determination in his eyes.</p><p>I was unimpressed by Lost’s vigor as I was too caught up in my memories of old. “Do you know how many people died during that war? How many comrades I lost fighting?” I asked as I began to get emotional. “I lost my home because of that war. An entire country- MY country was left in ruins, a cursed land I could never return to. My home- gone. I became a lost soul. I became-” I then broke down in tears, letting all my pent-up guilt and pain over losing my home out in the privacy of that bunkroom.</p><p>Lost stood up and proceeded to wrap his cloak around me. Standing in front me, he said, “I too lost everything because of that war- my family, my home, and even my own body. I am sorry I am unable to give you the answers you seek right now, but what I can offer is a chance for vengeance and the possibility for answers in the future.”</p><p>I just sat there and allowed Lost to do as he wished. It took a few moments, but I eventually got a hold of myself and looked up to him. “...what if I’m afraid of the answers I seek. I’ve always- I’ve always had a sinking feeling that I may or may not have had a hand in the destruction of Cyre. The guilt I’ve felt over the years has made me somewhat apathetic, keeping me away from world affairs and the aftermath of the war. A part of me doesn’t want to know,” I said, feeling almost defeated. “You said you wanted to know what drives me- what makes me tick? The truth is- I don’t even know myself. I don’t know why I keep going on. I have no family. Nothing waits for me back at a home I can no longer return to. It seemed like everything died for me when the Mourning happened. Since then, I’ve just been... wandering, a husk of a person with no purpose in life.”</p><p>I then went silent as I looked away from Lost once more, zoning out in front of me at nothing in particular. “I just don’t know what I’m doing anymore. I’ve come so close to death so many times since meeting you all. Every time, I think ‘Is this it?’ But surprisingly, I make it out alive somehow, almost as if my time hasn’t come yet. Maybe there is something for me still in this life. I just haven’t found it yet,” I said.</p><p>“Or perhaps your path is to find the truth of the Mourning’s cause and lay the past to rest, so that you may build a better future. You have the power to do great things, Leena, you have survived great trials and suffered greatly. Do not let such experience go on diminished, for it is the pain and suffering of the world that teaches the greatest of lessons. Use the harmful cards you have been dealt and the power you have been given to be a beacon of truth in this world. When I went against my kind, I fought because I believed and continue to believe in the beauty and strength of your kind. You exemplify those great qualities, though, you seem to let those qualities lie hidden from yourself. But I stand before you as one who recognizes your great potential. And if you should like, we can track down the answers to our great mystery together and uncover what could be the greatest conspiracy in the history of Eberron. What say you to that purpose?” said Lost.</p><p>I returned my gaze to Lost but only temporarily. I then glanced away once more, letting a slight smile tug at the corner of my mouth. “Do you really believe all that?” I asked, placing a hand to my head as the conversation had taken its toll on me.</p><p>“I do, and I will continue to fight for all of you,” Lost exclaimed with confidence, stretching out a hand to me. “Leena, my friend, will you fight with me?”</p><p>I looked to Lost then to his hand before letting out a brief chuckle. “And here I thought you were the most normal one in our group. Turns out you’re the oddest one of all!” I said after slapping my knee. I then regained my composure and gave him a smile. “Sure. Why not? What else am I going to do?” I said, firmly gasping his hand with mine. “By the way, who else have you told about this?”</p><p>Lost smiled at first then grew slightly embarrassed, scratching his head before saying, “Uhhh, everyone... except Vermundr- haven’t told him yet. Perhaps not entirely in as much detail as you, but they all know I’m really a dragon anyways.”</p><p>Upon hearing that I was the last to know, I scoffed at Lost and withdrew my hand. “Really? Besides the walking boulder, I’m the last to know? Am I really that unapproachable?” I asked, almost sounding offended.</p><p>“Honestly? I was a little intimidated,” said Lost, letting out a nervous chuckle.</p><p>I let out a playful huff, and turned my head away. “Me? Intimidating? You, a big bad dragon afraid of little ol’ me? Please,” I said, crossing my arms over my chest.</p><p>“Oh come on. Not even my lightning breath could make a thunderous noise like your weapons do and plus- you got the whole quiet, broody mystery thing going on,” said Lost.</p><p>I glanced at Lost out of the corner of my good eye, keeping my head turned and my arms crossed. “...are you hitting on me?” I asked outright.</p><p>“Sorry. Did I accidentally hit your arm?” asked Lost.</p><p>I remained silent, trying to process what he had just said. Then it dawned on me- he was a bit dense. I decided to let it slide and shrugged it off. “Nothing. Anyway, I’ll do well to keep this all between us for the time being. I assume you’ll be doing the same as well? I can’t have the others knowing I cry so easily like this. It’s unbecoming of a fearless bounty-hunter,” I said as I turned back to Lost and dropped my arms by my sides.</p><p>“I would never betray the trust of a friend in such a way. Any secret you have is for you to tell, even if it is the shedding of tears,” said Lost.</p><p>I smiled at that. “Good. Now, is it my turn to share a secret in return or...?” I asked, wondering if there was anything else Lost wanted to talk about.</p><p>“Is there anything else you might wish for me to know, or that I may need to know?” asked Lost.</p><p>I thought for a moment, a bit hesitant to reveal anything sensitive about myself; however, since Lost trusted me enough to tell a secret about himself, I felt it was only fair if I did the same. “Maybe. Would you want to play a game with me?” I asked, my tone a bit more serious.</p><p>Clearly confused about the change of pace, Lost hesitantly nodded.</p><p>I gave a slight nod and began explaining the game. “It’s something we used to do on the front lines between battles. It doesn’t have a formal name, but we just called it the ‘Truth Game’,” I said before letting out a sigh. “It allowed us to get things off our chest and head into battle without any regrets. We were able to tell someone something secret about ourselves, knowing either we were about to die or the person we told the secret to was. It was a coping mechanism several of us adopted, so here are the rules. One player would say one truth and two lies about themself. The other player had to pick which statement was the truth. If they picked correctly, the person had to talk more about the truth. If they picked a lie, then nothing more needed to be said.”</p><p>I then took a moment to choose which truth I wanted to share and a couple convincing lies to mask it. Not before long, I spoke. “Okay. Here we go. You ready?” I asked, looking to Lost.</p><p>“Sure,” Lost said, slightly confused by the custom but intrigued.</p><p>I exhaled and prepared myself. It had been several years since I last played. “I was born in Aundair to a rich family and have two siblings. My vice... is alcohol. And-,” I said before hesitating a bit. “I was once a spy for the crown of Cyre and a soldier fighting in its forces on the front lines.”</p><p>“You were on the front lines, as you said previously,” said Lost.</p><p>“So? Which is the truth then?” I asked.</p><p>“Yes, the last one,” said Lost.</p><p>I looked down and smiled to no one in particular. “And so I was. I fought for Cyre in the war. Went on numerous missions in the name of our queen. And for what? To see it all reduced to ash,” I said with a hint of venom in my voice.</p><p>“You said something about feeling responsible for what happened. Why?” asked Lost.</p><p>I sneered at his comment. “I don’t know. All the covert missions I did for the Cyran government. All the clandestine measures me and my team took against other countries. I can’t help but feel that one of them had a hand in the country’s demise,” I said. “So why was I allowed to live when so many other countless lives weren’t?”</p><p>“Well, I do not know the precise details of what happened in those moments, but I assure you that whatever caused the Mourning was the result of so much more than even one nation. Do not bare the weight of this,” said Lost.</p><p>I grumbled at that, unsure of how to respond. I shook my head and said nothing more on the matter. “Consider us even now. And like yourself, I can’t have anyone knowing about my former allegiance. Other countries have clandestine agencies like the one I used to work for, as you’ve probably already noticed. If they knew I was a Cyran spy, they’d snatch me up in a heartbeat to imprison and interrogate. Anything to give them an edge over the other countries,” I said.</p><p>“I understand that, and it would seem that we both have secrets that would cause us to get snatched by evil doers. And perhaps the mighty Siberys and the grace of Eberron sought to spare your life to uncover the truth,” said Lost.</p><p>“Perhaps. We’ll see,” I said. Suddenly, my stomach made an audible grumbling sound which made me go red in the cheeks. “Ah- I think my stomach is telling me to eat some food. Wanna grab something to eat?”</p><p>“I could grab a bite, though, I have to say- I’m getting a little tired of dried fish already,” said Lost</p><p>“Well what else is there to eat on this thing?” I asked.</p><p>“Let’s find out!” said Lost.</p>
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<a name="section0021"><h2>21. River Raid</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It was fifteen days after the encounter with the Dire Shark and we were finally approaching our destination. To not draw attention and keep the existence of the submarine a secret, it drifted along the coast away from the main port of Stormreach. After finding a suitable spot along the coast to park the ship and lay low, the others and I prepared to disembark. Unfortunately, Cloth was still a bit damaged from the Dire Shark attack, so he had to remain on the sub to finish his repairs. He told us to go on without him and that he’d catch up if he could. At least he had Spot to keep him company.</p><p>I said goodbye to Cloth then followed the others to the outer hatch until we were stopped by the ship’s captain. Before letting us leave, he gave us an envelope with the House Cannith seal on it. It contained official traveling papers that acted as our cover while in Xen’drik. If we were asked by an official what our business was, we were to pretend that we arrived via the airship Strongwind and were part of a Morgrave University expedition. In addition to the travel papers, we received a letter of credit to be used to any expenses we might have. We thanked the captain for his assistance, and he said he was only going to remain there for a few days. After that, he was going to head back to Sharn so the submarine wouldn’t be discovered.</p><p>Upon disembarking from the submarine, we headed towards Stormreach and began our search for the Emerald Claw at the harbor. We had no idea where the Emerald Claw were, so we had to gather the information ourselves. As we reached the harbor, the stench in the air assaulted my nose. All the city’s sewers led there, so when mixed with the ocean gave the area a disgusting aroma.</p><p>The area and city as a whole were a melting pot of races. We even saw some Dark Elves which was a rarity. While we were walking around the harbor, Layla noticed a white-haired elf woman following us and notified us. She didn’t seem to be a threat yet, so we just kept an eye on her for now.</p><p>From the harbor, we began making our way into the market area to see if we could find any leads regarding the Emerald Claw. One of the stalls we passed by was selling some souvenirs of sort which caught our attention. The seller said the charms were special as they related to the elder dragons, or something. I don’t remember exactly as I was focused on keeping an eye on the person following us. I ended up buying the Eberron key charm as a souvenir. I planned to give it to Lhara or maybe even keep it for myself.</p><p>Later on, Layla came over to us after having bought a few things at another vendor. She handed me and Lost a tapestry each, saying they were for us to keep. She went on to tell us that the vendor had tapestries that eerily depicted her, me, and Lost very accurately, despite not having ever met us or even known about us. She said the vendor had odd dreams and recorded them in her tapestries, which she sold. The tapestry I had depicted me and what appeared to be a male lover, except the man was about to stab me in the back with a knife. After hearing that, I found it a bit morbid, but it was nothing compared to Layla’s and Lost’s. In Layla’s tapestry, it depicted her being impaled on a spike at the bottom of a cliff with a tower on it. Lost had a tapestry which depicted him as a vampire feasting on someone. The gifts were an oddity to be sure, but I decided to hang on to mine anyway as did Lost. Curious about the maker of the tapestries, Lost and I headed over there to inquire about them.</p><p>After talking with the owner of the stall, he said that he began having those dreams after being cursed. He fell into a random hole while out in the jungle and it seemed to have given him clairvoyance, or something. He wasn’t completely sure, and he just thought they were harmless dreams. Never had anyone from his dreams or tapestries actually confronted him in person about them. Once we had finished talking with the owner, we moved on.</p><p>Along the way, we passed by a gaming shop that sold things ranging from decks of cards to chess sets. I browsed the merchandise available but didn’t find anything that caught my eye. Layla ended up buying a deck of cards and some sort of gaming set.</p><p>Next, we stopped by an incense and candle shop to look around. I took a gander at all the candles available and actually found one I liked. There was tropical apple scented one that smelled nice, and the owner said it burned red and green when lit. It was relatively cheap, so I bought it for use at the apartment.</p><p>Once we were done perusing the marketplace, we decided to head to a tavern to begin finding information on the Emerald Claw. We found a place called the Wavecrest Tavern and decided to try there first. When we got there, we encountered a certain waitress named Ada who seemed out of place, though we couldn’t put our finger on it. Of course, it wasn’t the same Ada we knew back from Sharn; she just shared the same name as our journalist friend. We found a table and asked to sample some of the local drinks which she happily obliged. She brought over some drinks and handed them out to us. While I had her attention, I did some intelligence gathering and asked her a few things. She said to try the Chapterhouse in the city if we wanted to find more information and gave us directions to get there. After finishing our drinks, we headed on over to the Chapterhouse to see what we could dig up.</p><p>We made our way back to the marketplace and entered the Chapterhouse. During the walk there, I caught glimpse of our mystery white-haired elf who was still following us at a distance. I made sure not to make it obvious that I was keeping tabs on her, so I kept her in the corner of my eye. Inside the Chapterhouse, we saw a stage set up for performances, but there were none taking place at the time. We headed further inside and found a table to sit at. After taking my seat at the table, I kept my gaze on the entrance to see if the white-haired elf would follow us in.</p><p>A few moments later, the elf entered and our gazes happened to meet. Figuring that she had been found out, the elf let out a sigh and began making her way over to our table. Seeing her more clearly, the elf was wearing full plate armor and armed with a mace and shield. I smirked slightly and pulled out the empty seat next to me, patting it as I motioned for the elf to sit beside me.</p><p>The elf took the empty seat and sat down, looking at all of us at the table. She introduced herself as Muroni, a scholar of the Draconic Prophecy. I had no idea what that was but Lost seemed to be interested enough. Actually, I think he mentioned it while talking in the sub, but I couldn’t remember. Anyway, Muroni wanted to accompany us in accordance with her prophecy and help us on our journey. After talking with her for a bit, we asked her to give us some time to talk things over amongst ourselves. She politely excused herself then stepped away from the table, heading to somewhere else in the tavern. Once she was gone, we talked things over about whether to let her join or not. In the end, we agreed to let her tag along and notified her about our decision.</p><p>Before continuing with our conversation, I asked Muroni if there was a more private place where we could talk in case we were being monitored. Taking a moment to think, Muroni then went and got us a room there so we could have more privacy. While she was doing that, I decided to chat up the tavern owner to see what I could find out.</p><p>The tavern owner said a group of Emerald Claw soldiers had come by a few days earlier but couldn’t remember specifics. I asked him if he had seen anyone resembling Garrow or his large warforged bodyguard, but the tavern owner wasn’t completely sure. He did mention, however, recalling the Emerald Claw talking about heading west further into the jungle. He also remembered seeing them come in on a fast-looking airship that was docked at the Falcon Tower. After exhausting the tavern owner of all his knowledge on the matter, I went back over to the others.</p><p>By then, Muroni had gotten a room for us to talk, so we followed her up to it and continued where we had left off. She talked more about her prophecy and other topics that I wasn’t completely paying attention to. When she was done explaining all that, we caught her up with what we were doing there in Xen’drik and what our mission was. After talking, we decided to head to the Falcon Tower to gather more information.</p><p>As we were approaching the tower, we saw an airship still docked there, but as we got closer, we noticed that the name of it was the S.S. Strongwind. That was the name of the same ship belonging to the Morgrave University expedition. Wondering if that was the same ship the tavern owner was talking about, we made our way into the tower and sought out the tower master for more information.</p><p>We met the tower master, but she wasn’t immediately willing to help us out. At first, we pretended to be part of the Morgrave University expedition, but she didn’t buy it. Lost then talked to her and bribed her with some coin to make her talk. I grimaced at how easily bribed the port official was. I wasn’t fond of corrupt government and public service workers, but we had bigger fish to fry. I guess the ends justified the means. Anyway, after the tower master accepted the bribe, she began to divulge some helpful information.</p><p>The tower master said that the leader of the Morgrave University expedition was someone named Provost Baris. She then went on to tell us where they were staying in case we wanted to talk to them. She also told us that another airship came by two days ago that was captained by a half-elf named Rarwog. After being at port for a short period, the ship left again and took an inland route over the Rachi River. She did recall Emerald Claw troops disembark from the ship while it was still docked. Before we left, the tower master gave us some last helpful bits of information. She informed us of someone who might be willing to take us up the river if we were wanting to follow the Emerald Claw. There was a boat captain located on the outskirts of the city who would take us for a price. We thanked the tower master for the extra information then left to find the people from the Morgrave University.</p><p>We made our way to where the people from the expedition were staying and sought them out. When we found them, Provost Baris was a bit reluctant to talk to us. We then name-dropped Professor Zofeek, since we had previous dealings with him, and said we were acquaintances of his. Provost Baris recognized him and was more open to answering our questions since Professor Zofeek was a respected member of the university. We asked him what was out in the wilderness of the jungle that was worth exploring, particularly west along the Rachi River. He wasn’t exactly sure since he and his team were new to the area and hadn’t begun their expedition yet. After getting nothing else from the provost, we left and returned to the Chapterhouse to rest for the night.</p><p>While we were winding down in the room Muroni had gotten for us, I decided to chat with her for a bit. I asked her about herself, but she was a bit mute on the subject. She then went on to talk about some blind orc sculptor, but by then I wasn’t paying attention and was falling asleep. I kindly told her that I was tired and was going to get some sleep in preparation for tomorrow. She acknowledged and left me alone to get some rest.</p><p> </p><p>#</p><p> </p><p>The next day, we all met at the tavern below for some breakfast. Our next order of business was to investigate the boat captain the tower master mentioned to us. In order to catch up to the Emerald Claw, we had to navigate the Rachi River and going by water was probably the fastest way. After we were done eating, we headed out to the outskirts to meet with this person.</p><p>We arrived at some docks and found the boat captain in question. He had a peculiar riverboat called “the Marlow”, and he said it was quite a fast ship, at least, when compared to other riverboats. We used the letter of credit Lady Elaydren gave us to hire the captain and his ship to take us up the river. The price we paid didn’t include a crew, so Muroni used some of her money to pay for a crew to help man the ship and expedite things. Since the captain was given the job on such a short notice, he said it was going to take him half a day to prepare for the journey.</p><p>In the meantime, I spent some time on my own and ventured back into the marketplace. I found myself a nice pair of gloves that were made of lightweight fabric and stitched professionally. The index finger and thumb were only partially covered, allowing for more precise handling of small objects, like cartridges. It cost me 4,000gp, but it was well worth the price. I hadn’t splurged on anything in a while, so it was all right. I stored my old gloves in my bag and replaced them with the new ones I got. For the remainder of the time we spent waiting to leave, I didn’t do much of anything else.</p><p>When the captain was finally ready to go the next day, we met at the boat and set sail. Like usual, I was wearing my life-vest and hanging out in the interior bunk rooms for the duration of the ride. The captain had an idea of where the Emerald Claw was headed and said it was going to take around five days to get there.</p><p>The first three days went by without incident, but on the fourth day, we ran into a little bit of trouble. We began to hear the banging of drums from tribal locals in the jungle around us. Suddenly, the ship got attacked by a snake person, but we managed to defeat it. Although, the creature managed to cast some sort of fear spell on us which completely freaked us out. I took refuge in the bunk area while the others were forced to flee on the deck of the ship. Lost even found himself going overboard, but Vermundr helped him back up. After the snake person attack, things were relatively smooth for the duration of the boat ride.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0022"><h2>22. The Forgotten Forge</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>After a couple more days, we were on approach to a set of ruins once occupied by giants. As the ruins came into view, we saw an air skiff anchored out front with two Emerald Claw soldiers standing guard on it. It seemed that the boat captain was correct in assuming that the ruins were where they were headed. We tried to remain as inconspicuous as we could while we brought the boat closer to the ruins.</p><p>As we got closer while still on the river, we were noticed by the guards and confronted verbally. Remaining on the ship, we talked with the guards and pretended to be part of the expedition from the Morgrave University. We told them we were exploring old ruins and wanted to look around. During the conversation, I happened to spot a third Emerald Claw guard sneaking off in the distance towards the entrance to the ruins, which probably wasn’t good. The guards we were talking to weren’t convinced and told us to just move along.</p><p>Seeing that a full-frontal assault was out of the question, we continued down the river a bit before anchoring once we were out of sight from the guards. Before moving out, I took off my life-vest and applied some Oil of Silence to my guns. When we were ready, we disembarked from the ship and began to sneak up to the ruins through the brush of the surrounding jungle.</p><p>The guards on the skiff had their backs to us, so we carefully made our way passed them and entered the ruins. Upon reaching the entrance, we came upon the remains of a past battle. There were a large number of dead Emerald Claw soldiers and a few skeletons remains all around the ground. For every dead Emerald Claw soldier, however, there were two dead Drow. It seemed that the Emerald Claw put down the Drow that had been previously inhabiting the ruins.</p><p>We carefully traversed through the entrance and began climbing the stairs. Being a place that was once inhabited by giants, there were two sets of stairs. There was the larger, primary set of stairs meant for giants and then the secondary, smaller set meant for their servants, which were mostly used by humans or elves. We took the smaller set of stairs and began climbing up.</p><p>I thought I saw some shadowy figures at the top, but I wasn’t sure. It turned out that I was correct and the people up there began to push some boulders down the stairs. We all reacted quickly and were able to dodge the boulders. After that, we climbed the rest of the way up the stairs and engaged whoever set the rocks on us.</p><p>It turned out that not all of the Drow had been killed, and they were the ones who did it. We tried to talk with them and tell them we meant no harm, but they couldn’t understand us and probably assumed we were part of the Emerald Claw. We had no choice but to defend ourselves and take them out by any means necessary. During the battle, I managed to take two of them down on my own while the others took care of the rest. One of the Drow appeared to be the chieftain, so they were probably the last remaining Drow that the Emerald Claw seemed to have missed. After the fighting had ceased, we tended to our wounds and looted the dead. I went straight for the chieftain and took the necklace around his neck. I didn’t want to kill them, but perhaps if we found any more survivors, the necklace would convince them to stand down without fighting. Once we were ready, we continued on through the ruins.</p><p>We saw smoke coming from a side area on the level we were on, so we went to investigate. It turned out that the smoke was coming from several large fires that had been started by the Emerald Claw. Several Drow dwellings had been set ablaze with the inhabitants still inside. There were charred bodies of Drow all over, including women and children. It was no wonder why the Drow we fought earlier were so pissed off. Seeing all that gave us one more reason why we needed to eliminate the Emerald Claw.</p><p>From there, we continued up another set of stairs to reach a higher level of the ruins. As we drew near the top, I began to hear voices, so I halted the group and advanced on my own to scout it out. I poked my head just above the top step and saw six Emerald Claw soldiers trying to open a set of large doors. After taking note of that, I crept back down and informed everyone what I saw. We then prepared ourselves and launched a surprise attack on the soldiers while we still had the element of surprise. I may have had a misfire during the engagement, but I did manage to kill one of the soldiers. We easily took them all out and secured the area.</p><p>I took a few moments to check the soldiers for anything useful like keys or documents but came up short. I did find some silver coins, so I took those for myself. The others were busy looking at the heavy doors and some odd contraption the Emerald Claw soldiers were utilizing.</p><p>They guessed the device was meant to help them open the doors because after trying to get it open by themselves, they couldn’t. It seemed like it required some amount of strength to operate, so Lost and Vermundr took to it and began to crank the winch. As they did, I happened to notice spurts of water come out the crack between the two doors. I figured that didn’t bode well for us and guessed that the door was booby-trapped with water or something. I quickly moved off to the side and suggested to Layla and Muroni that they do the same.</p><p>My suspicions were spot on as a torrent of water came rushing into the room once Lost and Vermundr had opened the door, knocking everyone who was in front of it down the stairs we had just come up. Meanwhile, I was unaffected by the flood of water along with Layla and Muroni who were with me in the corner of the room. After the others climbed the stairs again and dried off, we continued into the room that was just opened to us.</p><p>The path forward was near pitch black, so I took out a sunrod and lit it. The room we were in had about two feet of water along the ground, seemingly originating from a portal. Along with that, there was a large, stone structure in the center of the immense area. There weren’t any enemies in the room, which was to be expected if the room was full of water before we opened the doors. Looking at the ruins there, we thought we saw symbols or something up top, but we couldn’t clearly see. Vermundr then flew up and relayed what he saw to Asmundr. They were some sort of glyphs, but they didn’t make sense to any of us. Finding nothing else in the room, we decided to head back down and investigate the rest of the ruins. We also decided to take out the two sentries out front for good measure.</p><p>Leaving the room with the glyphs, we made our way back down the stairs to where we encountered the Drow survivors. As we were about to head back down to the entrance of the ruins, we were confronted by two Emerald Claw soldiers coming up the stairs. After the others quickly killed one of the guards, I tried to intimidate the last one into surrendering. Instead of surrendering, the soldier dropped his weapon and started to run away. I tried to shoot him in the leg, but my gun jammed. Thankfully, Lost was nearby and ran after him, getting in front of him and knocking him out. Lost then dragged the soldier back over to us, and we tied him up before he regained consciousness.</p><p>Once the Emerald Claw soldier was awake, we interrogated him for any information he had on his comrades. He didn’t exactly have much for us, but he did confirm that Garrow and his warforged bodyguard were around. He also told us that the airship they came on was parked nearby in the jungle but didn’t reveal its exact location. After getting all we could out of him, Layla cut the loincloth from the armor she looted from a dead Drow and gagged him with it. We then tossed the soldier in a corner of the room while he was still tied up before continuing on.</p><p>Before leaving the room, we thought it’d be a good idea to burn the bodies so they couldn’t be used against us in the future. If Cloth we were with us, that was what he’d probably want to do. We figured that was a good idea since the Emerald Claw was a big fan of necromancy, so we went about doing that. We piled the dead Emerald Claw soldiers and Drow into a pile then set it ablaze.</p><p>Instead of heading down to take out the two sentries at the entrance, we decided to finish exploring the level we were on first. Lost scouted ahead and found a door with the bottom corner bent open from the outside. Looking through the gap, he saw a dead Emerald Claw soldier just inside the room which didn’t bode well. Further in the room, he saw that it was filled with gold and other treasures. The only problem was that it was all guarded by a giant scorpion. When we went over to him, he told us what he found and figured it wasn’t worth the trouble at the moment. We agreed and decided to move on and come back to it after we stopped the Emerald Claw.</p><p>Elsewhere on the floor we were on, we came upon an empty room with another sealed door. It wouldn’t budge, so we thought about using the device from before to get it open. Lost and Vermundr went to retrieve the device while the rest of us just waited by the door. When they returned, they went about using the device to open the door. The door didn’t seem to be booby-trapped, but I remained wary just in case.</p><p>After it was opened, we found another empty room with a door at the end. The door had a bent corner, so we looked through it to see what was on the other side. Through the opening, we saw another empty room with a door at the end with a bent corner as well. Lost and Vermundr were a bit tired from opening the previous door, so using the Emerald Claw’s device was out of the question. We then suggested that someone go through the gap to scout ahead, and being one of the smaller members of the group, I volunteered.</p><p>To make myself as small as I could, I took off my pack and pushed it through the gap in the door first. I then squeezed myself in but got slightly stuck halfway through. The others pushed me from their side of the door, and I managed to get through into the room. I dusted myself off and grabbed my pack, making my way to the door on the opposite side of the room. I was on my own, so I made sure to be careful and look out for traps.</p><p>When I approached the door, I knelt down and peeked through the gap before doing anything else. At first, I thought I saw a giant scorpion, but it was just a statue of one. There seemed to be trinkets and other things around the statue, so I figured they were offerings for the scorpion in the other room we found. The room seemed safe enough, so I pushed my bag in then got in myself. I had to be careful since the others weren’t there to help me, so I sucked in my gut and wiggled my way into the room. Thankfully, I successfully managed to get all the way through without getting stuck.</p><p>Looking around, I carefully approached the scorpion statue and looked at the altar. I wondered if placing something there as an offering would do anything, so I reached into my pack and retrieved the Drow chieftain’s necklace. I placed it at the base of the statue with the other offerings and waited for something to happen. I had my hands poised on my guns just in case, but nothing occurred. After a few tense moments, I just shrugged and continued searching around the room. There didn’t seem to be any other way out of there, so I was stuck. As for the other offerings that included coins and jewels, I didn’t want to make the scorpion deity or whatever angry with me, so I didn’t take any of it. I just took my bag and made my way back to the others. After making my way back, I told them what I had found. They figured it was a dead end, so we decided to continue looking around elsewhere in the ruins.</p><p>During our exploration of the ruins, we found another set of stairs and climbed them up. At the top, we were discovered by two Emerald Claw soldiers, but Lost managed to take them both out before they raised an alarm. From there, we continued on as stealthily as we could into the corridor the guards were in front of. At the end of it, we found another large room with a set of stone ruins in the center. Unlike the other one we found, though, this one was occupied by Emerald Claw soldiers.</p><p>We saw two soldiers at the bottom seemingly led by an officer stationed above them at the middle section of the ruins. At the top, we saw what appeared to be a mummy just shambling around. There were mining equipment and furniture scattered around the base, so we had some cover at least if we wanted to remain stealthily. Unfortunately, we were spotted by the enemy, so we just charged in and engaged them head on.</p><p>I set my sights on the officer and planned to take him out first. I had to maneuver around the desks and crates of supplies, but I managed to get a few good hits on him. The others took care of the common foot soldiers while Lost climbed the ladders to take out the mummy. Unfortunately, the mummy was a lot tougher than Lost realized, but in the end, Lost prevailed with the help of Muroni. Once the area was secured, we healed up and began looking around.</p><p>The desks full of papers and other research items piqued my interest, so I went over there first. I found tons of things, most of which I couldn’t read or understand. In the drawer of one of the desks, I found a journal that belonged to the mummy. It was a bit dirty, so I used my cleansing stone to clean it up. I opened it up but could only make out a few words here and there. I shut the book then showed it to the others.</p><p>They took a look at the journal and read something about glyphs from the ruins being able to open a door, or something. We then remembered the glyphs from the previous room and wondered if there were similar ones in the room we were in. We looked up to the ruins and were able to see them more clearly thanks to the light from the torches placed around. Layla took out a book and sketched them into it. After she was done with that, we looked around and found some side doors.</p><p>We carefully ventured into the room which branched off into several other ones. We looked around and didn’t find much of anything. I, however, found an old stack of silver coins that were stuck together somehow. Even though they couldn’t be used as currency in their current state, the silver content alone was probably worth something. Along with that, I also found a small, jade panther statue.</p><p>After that, we continued exploring and ran into a door that was stuck. Lost and Vermundr went all the way back through the ruins and retrieved the door-opening device. Once they got back, they used it to get through the door. It was one of the smaller doors, so water didn’t come pouring through like the first time they used it. After the door was opened, we went through and found ourselves approaching the outer perimeter of the ruins. As we were about to reach the edge, we saw an incoming patrol of Emerald Claw soldiers and took cover. It was a large group that included a couple of large, ape-like creatures. We didn’t feel like fighting them, so we hid in the shadows and let them pass. After that, we decided to just stick to the interior of the ruins and went back the way we came.</p><p>We tried another path and went through an unlocked door. There, we found a trail of footsteps on the floor and some disturbed dust, meaning someone had been through there recently. We followed the trail which led to a spiral staircase that went upwards. Continuing to follow the trail, we carefully made our way up the stairs and arrived at a room full of supply crates. Judging from their appearance, we figured they had been recently brought there.</p><p>There were two guards there, but they hadn’t noticed us yet. We crept up the stairs and moved into position to ambush them. When we were ready, we attacked them simultaneously and took them out before they even realized what hit them. After taking care of the guards, we proceeded onwards into a dark corridor. I had a sunrod ready in my hand, but didn’t activate yet as to not give away our position to the enemy. Instead, I just stayed close to the person in front of me so I didn’t get lost.</p><p>At the end of the hallway, we came to a large, unlocked door with light seeping out from the bottom of it. Seeing that there was light ahead of us, I stowed the sunrod away in my pack and readied my guns just in case. Lost took point and quietly opened the door, peeking inside the room.</p><p>Lost said he saw a gigantic stone throne in the center of the room surrounded by desks, bookcases, and other wooden furniture. He didn’t see any Emerald Claw soldiers around, but he did see a lone woman amongst the furniture. She was a fair-haired woman with insignias on her robes indicating she was from the Morgrave University. Lost didn’t think she was with the Emerald Claw but instead a prisoner of theirs, so after discussing things with us, he just opened the door and openly walked in.</p><p>As Lost walked up to the woman, I dropped to the floor and crawled in, making sure I was behind cover as I did so. Shortly after I had gotten into an ideal position to listen in on their conversation, Asmundr just walked in and stood by Lost. Our cover was pretty much blown, so I just laid there and continued to listen to them talk. The woman introduced herself as a member of Morgrave University, but she seemed a bit strange. Before we could get closer to the woman, she took an invisibility potion and disappeared, alerting the guards as she escaped.</p><p>Cursing to myself, I got up into a crouching position behind a desk as I saw four Emerald Claw soldiers and a large warforged, who introduced himself as Scimitar, enter the room. So much for giving her the benefit of the doubt and being civil. Asmundr quickly used a spell to see invisible entities and caught sight of her. He was able to temporarily track her until she climbed on the large, stone throne. After that, she was completely gone.</p><p>Meanwhile, the rest of us focused on the incoming enemies that the woman had called for. Since I was somewhat hidden still, I got the drop on them and expertly took out three of the enemies in just four shots. They were surprised to say the least, but then another group of Emerald Claw soldiers showed up to support them. While the others engaged what remained of the first group, I turned my attention to the reinforcements and took down another two enemies. I may have had a misfire during that engagement, but that didn’t stop me from kicking ass. After the others had taken care of what remained of the enemy force, including Scimitar, we took some time to investigate our curious surroundings.</p><p>After reloading my guns, I went over to the desks again to look for any research materials or notes. I figured that whatever they were researching might come in handy at some point. I took all the papers, books, and notes that I could find and stuffed it all into my bag to be sorted through later. If we couldn’t make use of any of it, I’m sure Daena or the researchers at the Morgrave University could find some value in it. I also took all the research materials to include: some charcoal, a magnifying glass, a scale, the weights for the scale, some blank sheets of paper, and some other assorted items.</p><p>I can’t remember what started it, but the next thing I remembered was Lost dumping out the contents of his bag in search for a specific item. He then cast some spell before climbing up on the large, stone throne. As soon as he got onto the seat portion of it, he disappeared. We all just stood there, wondering where Lost went or what happened to him. Hoping that he hadn’t died, I hurried over and gathered all of Lost’s possessions, stuffing them back into his bag.</p><p>While I was doing that, Muroni climbed up on the throne and disappeared as well. Before I could speak, Layla climbed up next and disappeared after reaching the throne’s seat. Asmundr and I exchanged apprehensive looks then began walking towards the throne. He and Vermundr managed to get up all right, but I had a bit of trouble. There wasn’t much for me to grab hold of, so I couldn’t quite get myself up on my own. Thankfully, Asmundr reached out to lend a hand and pulled me up. Before I could thank him, he grabbed Lost’s bag from me and went through the portal on the throne. I just looked on confused then apprehensively stepped forward, going through the portal myself.</p><p>The next thing I knew, I found myself in a completely foreign atmosphere. It was dark yet the room was dimly lit by something. The ceiling was illuminated by twinkling specks of light, almost as if it was intended to mimic the stars in the night sky. Looking around, I saw Asmundr and Vermundr standing at what appeared to be a cliff. I walked over to him and found myself at the top of a giant set of stairs, each step around ten feet tall.</p><p>Down below was a large chamber obscured partially by shadow. At the very bottom, we saw Lost and Muroni standing over an unknown person. Layla was already making her way down the stairs to meet up with them. Since we had our Rings of Featherfall, catching up to them was no problem. Asmundr and I stepped off the edge of the first step and floated down to the next. We kept going until we were at the bottom with the others. Once we had gotten over to them, Asmundr took Lost’s pack and dumped all of its contents onto the ground before dropping the bag right in front of him. I had no idea why he did that, but I wasn’t in the mood to ask.</p><p>Returning our attention to the body lying on the ground, it turned out that it was Garrow, the mastermind behind everything. Lost and Muroni had defeated him all on their own and put an end to his nefarious plan. Garrow was the one who wanted the Creation Pattern and the schemas for his evil purposes, whatever they were. We still weren’t sure what he wanted to do with them or what his end goal was. All we knew was that it was evil and potentially world-ending, so he had to be stopped.</p><p>Also, to our surprise, Garrow wasn’t actually a vampire. He was a changeling who was pretending to be a vampire. I checked his corpse to be sure and there were no signs of vampirism. I guess that was why Daena had trouble tracking the guy or finding anything about him; he really wasn’t a vampire to begin with. I also took the dagger he had on him since no one else wanted it. It’d make a fine addition to my collection.</p><p>At the beginning of the fight, Lost said that Garrow had the Creation Pattern with him but threw it away somewhere before the fighting started. He also mentioned seeing three of the schemas already inside the pattern, including the two that were stolen from Lady Elaydren. Hearing that, I lit a sunrod and began searching, heading off in the direction that Lost said Garrow had thrown it.</p><p>The ground was covered in some kind of biomechanical tubes or piping, so it made it kind of hard to walk around. As I waved the sunrod around in front of me, a glimmer from something on the ground caught my eye. I made my way over to it and crouched down, finding a circular disc wedged between some of the odd tubes. I was pretty sure I had found the Creation Pattern, so I picked it up and gave it a look.</p><p>As soon as I touched it, I felt an uneasiness resonate through my body. There was a slight voice or something in my head, but I couldn’t make it out completely. I don’t remember what happened exactly during the time after I touched the disc and when it left my hand, but when I was in complete control of myself again, it was gone. The others then told me that I had wandered off somewhere and when they found me, they caught glimpse of the disc momentarily floating in the air in front of me with all the schemas placed in it. Just as they were about to grab it, it zoomed away into the darkness. I had no recollection of all that, so I took their word for it.</p><p>Just after they had finished telling me what happened, there was an ominous whirring and rumbling sound coming from somewhere in the darkness. It sounded mechanical in nature and gave off a chilling presence. The others figured it had something to do with the Creation Pattern flying off on its own, so whatever was coming for us, we prepared to defend ourselves.</p><p>After two monstrous footsteps, our final challenge revealed itself. Out of the shadows came a hulking warforged the size of a giant. Its metallic body towered over us as its red eyes glared at us all. It let out a howling roar then began attacking us. Seeing such a formidable foe, I figured it was about time to use the special ammunition I fashioned from Cloth’s gift. I took the three special cartridges and loaded them into Dread.</p><p>At the onset of the battle, our attacks seemed to do little to no damage to the enormous behemoth. Not wanting to waste our energy and supplies, we examined our enemy closer and noticed numerous cables still attached to the warforged’s body. Some were metallic and mechanical in nature while others were soft and fleshy. Whatever they were, we figured they had to have some sort of significance, so we began targeting them instead. After severing the first cable, we noticed that the warforged reacted negatively to it. With no other better strategy, we continued to aim at the cables in order to disconnect them from the warforged’s body.</p><p>We went to work and ended up severing numerous cables with our combined assault. I managed to take out four or so flesh cables and two mechanicals ones, but who was counting? It was a team effort after all. When we severed the mechanical ones, sparks came out from the ends and when we severed a fleshy one, some kind of fluid came gushing out. We guessed one cable supplied power while the other supplied life juice or something to the giant warforged.</p><p>Anyway, we kept up the attack and continued aiming for the cables. We all sustained injuries but managed to keep on our feet. In case of an emergency, Muroni performed a spell that allowed her to take damage on our behalf if we were to sustain a life-threatening injury. All she needed was some of our blood. If we were close enough, we gave her a bit of blood from a wound or wherever. I had a bit of a bloody nose, so I just swiped some of the blood from there and slapped her hand; that seemed to do the trick. It was a bit gross, but if it prevented me from dying, I was all for it.</p><p>As the battle raged on, I happened to run out of ammunition in both my guns. Pulling the triggers, the hammers just clicked without anything happening which the warforged must’ve recognized. It turned its attention towards me and began to charge. I panicked and turned tail, running away and eventually cornering myself. Stuck, I turned around to face the enemy while I fumbled to reload my guns. Thankfully, Asmundr tossed his anti-light lantern near me which created a space where I could hide in. I hurried into the blackness and hoped the warforged didn’t get a lucky hit on me. While I was engulfed in the darkness, I quickly reloaded my guns without being able to see then tried to find my way out.</p><p>Meanwhile, the others continued to attack it to hopefully draw its attention away. Vermundr was defeated as he distracted the warforged, allowing me time to find my way out of the darkness. Just as I had returned to the battle, the warforged was still right next to me and happened to catch glimpse of me. As it turned to strike, Lost came up from behind and landed the finishing blow. I jumped out of the way just in time as the large warforged came crashing down.</p><p>We kept our focus on the warforged to make sure it was truly neutralized. After a few brief moments of seeing it motionless, we relaxed a bit, relieved that it was all over. We were all battered and bruised, so we took some time to take care of our wounds. Lost was looking pretty bad, so I offered him a deal. In exchange for chopping off the warforged’s head, I’d give him one of my Potions of Lesser Restoration. I wanted to take it back home as a souvenir but I didn’t have anything to chop it off from the body. He agreed, but even if he didn’t, I’d probably still have given it to him anyway. Taking his guisarme, he swiftly decapitated the dead warforged. After that, I tossed him the potion. I was hurting too, so I took three of my Potions of Cure Light Wounds to remedy that. I wasn’t completely back to normal, but at least the pain had subsided.</p><p>Once everyone was no longer near death, we looked back to the giant warforged to recover the Creation Pattern. The Creation Pattern was spotted on the warforged’s chest, but unfortunately, the warforged had fallen flat on its face which meant that the Creation Pattern was underneath the body. It was huge and weighed a significant amount, so simply flipping it over was out of the question, at least, not as the body was at the moment. Asmundr then cast some magic which made the oversized warforged body shrink by about half. It was still large, but reasonably small enough that my stronger companions could flip it over on its back.</p><p>Lost and Vermundr all took up position next to the dead warforged and flipped it over, revealing the Creation Pattern still intact on the chest. I reminded everyone that the Creation Pattern was cursed or something and that it influenced anyone who touched it. Asmundr then used his Mage Hand spell to grab the Creation Pattern and safely secure it in his Handy Haversack.</p><p>We were all tired from all the fighting, so we decided to set up camp and rest for the day. It was relatively safe where we were with the only access point being the hidden portal. We figured that the other Emerald Claw members didn’t know about it, so the chances of reinforcements coming was low. Before letting our guard down entirely, we spread out and made sure the surrounding area was clear of any hidden enemies. While I was walking around, I used one of my empty potion bottles to scoop up some of the ancient warforged’s blood. I cleaned out the empty bottle using water from my waterskin then I filled it all the way up, topping it with the cork. I figured the university or maybe even Lady Elaydren would find it interesting. After checking our surroundings, we were allowed to feel at ease.</p><p>While we were resting, Asmundr used one of his wands to heal our remaining injuries. I had him use a few charges on me to get me fully back to normal. After that, I set up my portable oasis and got comfortable. To play it safe, we set up a watch schedule before everyone went to sleep. Layla was first followed by Muroni, Asmundr, and then me. When it was my turn to stand watch, I woke up feeling rather rested despite not getting a full night’s rest. During my watch, nothing happened which was good.</p><p> </p><p>#</p><p> </p><p>One by one, people started waking up and going about their morning routine. While we were having breakfast, I saw Lost practicing some magic with Asmundr. Vermundr was also back, having being summoned again by Asmundr at some point. After spending a chill breakfast with each other, we packed up and got back to work.</p><p>Having gotten another look at the gigantic warforged head, we figured it was too heavy and cumbersome to bring back with us, so we decided to just leave it and come back for it at another time, if we ever decided to. I was a bit bummed that I was leaving such an awesome trophy behind, but I got where they were coming from. It wasn’t like I was going to be the one carrying it anyway.</p><p>While on the topic of the warforged’s head, we decided to leave the ruins entirely and come back later to finish looting and recover the warforged. We also wanted to come back with Cloth, figuring he’d want to see everything for himself. With that in mind, we headed back to the portal at the top of the stairs and began making our way out of the ruins.</p><p>In case there was an army of Emerald Claw soldiers on the other side of the portal, we readied our weapons as we stepped on through. We weren’t looking forward to having to fight our way out, but if we had to, we were ready. Luckily, the room was still empty as we reappeared on the other side of the portal.</p><p>We backtracked through the ruins and headed to the outside balcony, avoiding any remaining patrols on the way there. We planned to just jump off the edge and float to the ground, bypassing any enemies still within the ruins. It wasn’t exactly an original plan, but it normally worked out pretty well for us. Since Vermundr could fly on his own now, Muroni took his Ring of Featherfall to use for the jump. Once we were on the balcony, we looked down and saw that it was all clear. We stood on the edge and began to jump one after the other. Asmundr was still not a fan of all the heights, but he jumped all the same. We safely floated on down and managed to reach the ground without any trouble.</p><p>The two sentries out front were still there, so we made sure to keep out of sight and snuck back to where the riverboat was hopefully still anchored. Coming out of the jungle brush, we found the riverboat right where we had left it. The captain, who was casually fishing on the deck, saw us coming and gave a friendly wave. As we began to board the ship, he began to prepare it to make way. After the crew lifted and secured the anchor, the captain began steering the ship back towards Stormreach.</p>
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<a name="section0023"><h2>23. A Job Well Done</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The trip back was going to take another five days, so we got comfy and relaxed after a job well done. During dinner that night, Layla performed a magic trick with Asmundr using her Deck of Several Items. I can’t remember what the trick was, but it was all right.</p><p>During my free time, I cleaned my guns and did some maintenance to get them in perfect working order. I fired a lot of shots since the last time, so I made sure to do a thorough cleaning. After that, I took inventory of all the stuff I nabbed from the ruins. I did some sorting of the notes and research materials I gathered, trying my best to organize them better for whoever was willing to pay for them. I also got a closer look at Garrow’s dagger and the giant warforged’s blood.</p><p>The first three days went without a hitch as we glided along the river, the water elemental propelling us forward using its powers. I remained in the bunk area with my life-vest on and kept to myself. On the fourth day of traveling, something happened that caused us to make a little unscheduled stop.</p><p>High in the sky overhead, we saw a meteorite or something explode into several smaller pieces. The chunks continued to fall and landed somewhere in the jungle about an hour’s hike away from us. The meteorite didn’t look like anything special to me, but the captain said otherwise. He said it could have been a Siberys Shard which was worth a small fortune according to him. Lost backed up his claim by explaining some history behind the Progenitor Dragons (Siberys, Khyber, and Eberron) and how they created everything.</p><p>To cash in on a potential easy profit, the captain wanted to stop the ship and go after it. A few members of the group weren’t too keen on making unnecessary stops and wanted to get back home as soon as possible. Their number one priority was to return the Creation Pattern and Schemas to Lady Elaydren for safekeeping. After some discussion, we agreed to stop only if we got 90% of the shards found while the captain got to keep 10% of them. We were going to be doing a lot of the heavy-lifting since his crew was staying with the ship. To his dismay, the captain agreed to the terms and Asmundr wrote up a contract outlining the details of our arrangement. A little something was better than nothing, I guess he thought.</p><p>Once everything was taken care of, the captain brought the ship closer to shore and dropped the anchor. While that was happening, we prepared to disembark and head into the jungle. The away team consisted of myself, Lost, Asmundr, Vermundr, Muroni, and the captain. Layla decided to stay with the ship and look after things while we were gone. The captain deployed a gangplank which connected the ship to the shore.</p><p>One by one, we walked along it and stepped foot back on land. When we were all off the ship and on the riverbank, we began heading into the dense jungle brush towards where the meteorite chunks landed. We didn’t encounter any trouble while traversing through the thick foliage, thankfully. I walked behind Lost as he cleared the brush with his guisarme. After about an hour of hiking, we arrived at the impact crater.</p><p>We had the entire area to ourselves, so we began to spread out and look for any shards. I found a small area to myself and crouched down, seeing some crystals or something embedded into the ground. They were amber in color and had golden veins in them. In all, I managed to collect four smaller shards and one larger one. The others had a various amount of differing sized shards as well, finding both smaller and larger ones like I had. Bringing them all together, the captain discerned that they were indeed Siberys Shards, meaning they were worth a lot to the right buyer. He didn’t have enough experience with them to appraise their worth on the spot, but he knew they were worth quite a bit. We stashed them all away in our packs and began heading back to the boat. We were sure Layla was eager to get a move on, so we tried not to keep her waiting for too long.</p><p>The trek back was uneventful, though it was a lot more tiring since we had already spent an hour hiking through the jungle. When we finally got back, we boarded the ship and got it moving once more.</p><p>On the final day of travel, we reached Stormreach around noon. On a whim, I looked to the docking tower to find no airships present. The expedition from the Morgrave University must’ve left to explore the jungle or whatever. After docking the ship, we thanked the captain for the smooth ride then headed into town. We decided to spend the rest of the day in Stormreach then head back to the submarine bright and early the next morning. There were a few things the others wanted to do, so I found no harm in staying around a bit longer. Though, we did have the Creation Pattern and Schemas with us still, so we had to be a bit careful rather than not at all.</p><p>We made our way to the Chapterhouse to get a room before we all dispersed to do our own thing. I helped chip in for the room and went up to relax a bit. Some of the others went straight back into town while others hung around the tavern. When it got late, everyone returned to the room to get some sleep.</p><p> </p><p>#</p><p> </p><p>The next morning, everyone woke up and had breakfast together at the complimentary buffet for guests. After eating, we left the Chapterhouse and headed off to where the submarine was hopefully still waiting for us. Halfway there, Muroni stopped and said she wanted to have a word with Lost in private.</p><p>I grinned and playfully gave Lost a jest before joining the others so he and Muroni could have some privacy. While they were talking, the rest of us were just gathered around awkwardly watching them. Lost ignored our buffoonery and kept his back to us as he focused on Muroni in front of him. After talking, Muroni said her goodbyes to him then waved over to us before leaving. Lost then returned to us and didn’t elaborate on what was said between the two of them. That was fine by me. It wasn’t like it was any of our business anyway.</p><p>Continuing on, we arrived at the spot where we first disembarked from the submarine. We then saw the vessel still there with Cloth and Spot hanging around on the shore. He came over to us and was glad to see that we were all still alive. He had just finished his repairs and was testing things out before preparing to join us. We told him that the mission was complete and we were wanting to head back to Sharn. After boarding the submarine and setting out on the open sea, we filled him in on what happened since we were away.</p><p>The trip back to Sharn was going to take roughly 17 days, so we had plenty of time to tell Cloth all the stories from our adventure. After we were done, he was rightly disappointed that he had missed it all because of a stupid shark. We told him not to worry and that we planned to return once we handed over the Creation Pattern and Schemas.</p><p>During the ride under the sea, I had loads of time to spend. I started off by going over all the notes and research materials from the ruins, laying it all out on an unused table. A lot of it didn’t make any sense to me, but some words and phrase I understood. I organized it the best I could then stowed it all away.</p><p>I also took the time to write another letter to Daena regarding the conclusion to the Garrow saga. I’m sure she was going to be quite surprised and relieved to find out that Garrow wasn’t an actual vampire. I was, but more so disappointed as well. I wanted to bag a vampire on my own without Daena’s help for once. Lucan didn’t count because he was still alive when we handed him over to the Dark Lanterns. Oh well. There were going to be plenty of opportunities in the future I thought.</p><p>Other than looking over the notes and writing the letter, I didn’t do much of anything else. I practice gun juggling a bit and even showed off in the galley one night. Most of the time, I just spent lying around on my bunk, trying to keep my mind off of my anxiety. Thankfully, we didn’t encounter any trouble on the way back to Sharn. I’m sure Cloth was just as relieved as I was. I didn’t think he could’ve survived another encounter with a Dire Shark.</p><p>Eventually, we finally arrived back in Sharn and docked at the secret warehouse. We bid the captain and crew farewell before making our way to Lady Elaydren’s townhouse. It was nice being back on land. Being on the water for over two weeks really drained me, especially in such cramped quarters. It felt good to stretch my legs and walk around. When we arrived at her door, we knocked and waited for a response. The windows had been repaired and the door was closed and locked, so that was a good sign at least.</p><p>After waiting momentarily, the door opened and Lady Elaydren appeared there standing before us. She was glad to see us back and welcomed us inside her abode. I remained guarded, keeping an eye out for anything suspicious. Being so close to the end, I didn’t want to let my guard down for any possible ambushes or enemies in disguise.</p><p>We followed Lady Elaydren into a room and sat down together around a table while her guards remained just outside. Asmundr took off his pack, which contained the Creation Pattern and Schemas, and set it on the ground next to him. We debriefed her on the mission and told her everything that happened. After we were done, Lady Elaydren had one of her guards retrieve a special magic-nullifying sphere to put the Creation Pattern in. She didn’t want to risk succumbing to its evil, manipulative nature, so precautions had to be taken.</p><p>Once the sphere was placed on the table, Asmundr took his bag and dumped it out over the sphere until the Creation Pattern fell harmlessly into it. Once the sphere was sealed, Lady Elaydren picked it up and gave it a closer look, noticing all the schemas still in place within the disc. She then placed it back onto the table top and congratulated us on a job well done. She then reached into her pocket and handed each of us a bank voucher. Each one was worth 2,500gp, the amount that was promised after the job was successfully completed. All we had to do was cash it in at the bank to receive the funds.</p><p>Before we left, she asked us for a little favor. I was hesitant to oblige, but she did just pay us a lot of gold. We decided to humor her and all she wanted us to do was escort her to the House Cannith forge. She wanted to bring the Creation Pattern there for safekeeping and she was going to make sure it never got stolen again. It seemed easy enough, so we joined her escort which only consisted of a few of her personal guards. When she was ready, we left her home and walked with her to the House Cannith forge, acting as her protection detail.</p><p>During the short walk to the forge, nothing happened. There were no ambushes, no assassins, nothing. It was just a nice, casual stroll through the city. When we got there, we said goodbye to Lady Elaydren and took care of our last piece of business.</p><p>We asked around the forge and found someone who was knowledgeable in Siberys Shards. After taking a close look at the shards we had, he appraised the smaller ones at around 2,000gp and the larger ones at around 12,000gp. Unfortunately, he wasn’t able to buy any of them off us as his group was low on funds. Although, when he did obtain further funds, he definitely promised to buy them from us. In the meantime, we just hung on to them, so I got to keep the one large one and four smaller ones for the time being. After taking care of business at the forge, we all went our separate ways.</p><p> </p><p>#</p><p> </p><p>After the last job for Lady Elaydren where we basically saved the world, I decided to take a little break from work and enjoy the sizeable amount of gold I had earned along the way. I told the others I was going to take a little vacation and not be joining them on any upcoming jobs. They were a bit bummed that I wouldn’t be joining them, but they said they’d be fine. Over the next few months, I remained on my own, trying to enjoy myself the best I could.</p><p>As time went on, I began to hear less and less from the others until I hardly heard from them at all. Once in a while, I’d see a member of the group in passing at the Clifftop Adventurers Guild, but as for missions, we never undertook one as a group after the last one we went on. I guess it was time to go off on our own and forge our individual paths.</p>
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